The Tail of Love
by Corration
Summary: Knowing he's the only hope for the future, Littlefoot sets out on a quest to find the mate of his life, but along the way, major problems arises. Some are esteem issues, some are leaving issues...and some are love issues.
1. Prologue

The sun rose high into the morning sky over the valley. The valley, known as the Great Valley, was a luscious place filled with green food, grassy plains, and running water. The great rock walls protected the valley dwellers from most carnivorous attacks. It was paradise, but today was different for a particular dinosaur. A young, brown-grayish Apatosaurus only made it to his teen years to see that his grandparents were dead. He saw the two family members lying on the grassy fields, behind the trees; the spot they rested yesterday night. The two grey-blue longnecks that had taken care of him for these past years after his mother's death had faded away before him. The night had taken them away. The moonlight had led their souls to the new land where his mother resided. A tear escaped from Littlefoot's right, red-brownish eye.

"Grandpa," he whispered. "Grandma. Say hi to Mother for me."

The fourteen meter-long Apatosaurus walked lowered his head and rubbed his cheek against his grandma. He lifted his head up and smiled down at the two corpses. They had taught him so much and protected them throughout the years. Littlefoot chuckled at old memories where he and his friends, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike, were scolded at by the adults for doing something reckless or just plain stupid. Most of the time, it was either his curiosity or concern about others that got him and his friends in trouble when they were younger.

Now, that he and his gang of friends were older, they wouldn't get into trouble so much. It was probably because of their maturity, compared to when they were babies. They all knew the dangers, but the main reason why they didn't go out was because they had seen everything…twice. They had become bored of the surrounding sites of the Mysterious Beyond, and they did not dare adventure any further out.

Littlefoot looked over at his role model. He idolized his grandfather much more than his father. He was like…a father to him. His real father, Bron, had never been there like his grandfather. Grandpa Longneck, along with Grandma Longneck, had nursed and disciplined him to the teenager he now was. It was not that Littlefoot didn't like his father, but it was just his father had been recently introduced in his life and was busy leading his herd. Sure, he would stop from time to time, but he wasn't always there like Littlefoot's grandparents. Recently, his visits had halted. Littlefoot had almost convinced himself that he was still alive, but it changed this morning.

Seeing his grandparents dead before him made him worry about his father. What if the sudden stop of visits were something much more than what he thought? What if, like his grandparents, his father left this world? If that was the case, he was truly the last of his herd; the last hope of the future. This thought made him reflect on his childhood crush, Ali, a pink-purplish Apatosaurus with blue eyes. If he was the last one, he had to find a mate, and she was the only one he ever liked. The only problem was that she was out in the Mysterious Beyond, either alive or dead. Littlefoot quickly shrugged off the idea of Ali being dead, including images of her. Right now, he was staring death at the face.

"Littlefoot."

Littlefoot turned around and looked into the sky to see one of his first friends. Petrie, a teenaged brown Pteranodon with black eyes, flew down on his head. After a year of speech therapy with Mr. Thicknose, a Pachyrhinosaurus elder, Petrie finally got his speech right. Though it was less annoying than Ducky's triple word rant, broken English and a small vocabulary proved to be hard to understand when it came to describing something. Littlefoot thought it was okay, but by the age of five, if 'I' is replaced with 'me' and there was verb confusion in your speech when you were taught English as your first language, something was wrong. Petrie landed on top of Littlefoot's head and looked over at Grandpa and Grandma Longneck.

"Oh, Littlefoot, are your grandparents still sleeping? The bright circle is high in the sky."

"Petrie," came Littlefoot's quiet voice.

Petrie looked down and noticed a couple of water drops splashed onto the floor. Petrie looked at Littlefoot's grandparents again and put one and one together. He dropped his head and closed his eyes. He opened them slowly.

"Littlefoot, do you want me to get the others?"

"My grandparents deserve a proper ceremony. They served gratefully the valley. We need to move the bodies into a shallow cave so that the kids don't see their decaying corpses in the open, reminding them what awaits them."

"I agree. Death is an unpleasant sight for little ones, but how are we going to move them? They're huge and heavy. No offense."

"I'll think of a way, but if we have to push them, then that's what we're doing. Go tell the others."

"Okay."

Petrie raised his bat-like wings and looked back at the bodies.

"And Littlefoot? I'm sorry for your loss."

"Petrie, there is no reason to apologize. The Circle of Life not only gives, but it takes when time comes. Now, go."

Petrie nodded slowly and flew off. Littlefoot stared at the bodies of his grandparents and bowed his neck in respect. He slightly smiled, remembering all they had done for him.

"Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma."


	2. Now What?

A yellow, teenaged Triceratops with green eyes was hanging around with Petrie, Ducky, and Spike. They were near a small river where a waterfall rushed down onto it from the top of the nearby cliff. Ducky, the green Saurolophus with blue eyes, was in the waist-deep pond, soaking the feeling of the water brushing against her. Her step-brother Spike, a green, teenaged Stegosaurus with violet eyes, was lying down next to Cera, the Triceratops. Petrie was on his head, also soaking up the sunlight. Petrie sighed.

"That sure was depressing."

"Mmm-mmm," Spike nodded in agreement.

"Can't believe they are dead," commented a teenaged Ducky, getting out of the water.

"We all knew it would happen," said Cera.

"But it's still sad. Yep, yep, yep."

"Where is Littlefoot?" brought up Petrie. "After we sealed his grandparents in the caves, I have not seen much of him."

"Well, it's only has been one day, Petrie," said Cera. "Not even an entire day. Give him some time, and he will toughen up."

"I don't know," said Ducky. "His grandparents were his only true family. I haven't seen much of Bron."

"Besides, his grandparents were like a father and mother to him," pointed out Petrie.

The four types of dinosaurs thought. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were only a few of the wise dinosaurs the little ones respected more. They were all saddened that Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were gone, but it was nothing compared to what Littlefoot felt.

"Maybe we should go talk to him," suggested Petrie.

"I would just let him be," Cera said. "Give him some time, and he will go on."

"I don't know if we should," commented Ducky.

"But seeing us might give him some memories…about them."

Petrie nodded.

"Cera is right."

Ducky sighed. She clearly understood Cera. Grandma and Grandpa Longneck not only helped Littlefoot and spent time with him, but they did the same to them. They enjoyed the company of the elders, unlike being next to Mr. Threehorn when he got agitated. However, something in her heart told her she should comfort her friend. When they had all retreated back to their parents, she would sneak off and talk with her friend.

* * *

><p>Littlefoot sighed. Today marked the day of change in his family. He had awoken up to see his grandparents dead right before him. It was like seeing his mother dying again. It was a devastating feeling. He remembered it so well. He finally had found his mother lying down on a rock. He had been searching for an hour. During that hour, rain had poured down, damping the asymmetric ground. He hopped over a small gap and found his mother. He encouraged her to get up, but she couldn't. She tried, but she fell down. She had lost too much blood. He walked up to her big, beautiful eye and looked at it, worried. She was calm about it, as if she accepted it. Her last words were that she would always been with him.<p>

A tear rolled down Littlefoot's eye. Unlike his mother, his grandparents did not say anything and died peacefully. He was happy that his grandparents weren't mincemeat for sharpteeth, but it was gloomy to watch them go. The last thing that they said to him was that they loved him. He had smiled and told them he loved them too. He smiled slightly as he remembered the warm smiles they gave to him yesterday night.

He continued to lie down near the shore of a water spring, looking at his reflection. He had grown much older, and he had to admit he was handsome. The reason why he admitted that he was handsome was that now he realized he needed to find a mate. His grandparents would've wanted him to. He was the last of his herd bloodline. Instincts of survival kicked into his brain. Though it was depressing that his grandparents were gone, he needed to expand his herd, or what was left of it. As far as he was concerned, it was only him.

He got up and looked at the sky. The yellow sun was beaming down at him. The warm breeze tickled against his reptile skin. Though today was a day of sadness, it was a new day for him. He knew what his grandparents would've wanted. He began to walk to the grazing field to join the others for lunch.

He slowly walked out into the grazing fields. Lunch for them was one-thirty in the afternoon. Some dinosaurs had already eaten early. He walked along the grassy lands to find a good tree with some fresh stars. Luck was on his side. He found a tree after walking a short distance across the field. The tree was filled with his favorite: treestars. The treestars' moisture had slightly gone, but they were still good to him. Littlefoot reached the tree's bottom branches and started to grind the green maple leafs with his teeth. He ate his food contently.

As he ate, he was surprised that no one had confronted him ever since that morning. A few dinosaurs had seen him walk across the grassy plains and said nothing to him. Probably they thought it was best for him to reflect on what just happened by himself. Littlefoot was fine with this. He still needed to think. He was considering on following his thoughts.

"Littlefoot."

Littlefoot looked down at the ground and saw one of his friends. Teenaged Ducky stood proudly, awaiting his response. He swallowed the treestars in his mouth with one gulp.

"Oh, hey, Ducky."

His voice wasn't depressing or happy; it was moderate.

"Um, I just wanted to check on you."

He needed more time alone, but he didn't want to shoo off his friend who was trying to support him. That was just…mean.

"Thanks," he slightly smiled. "I'm just…doing my best."

"You are welcomed to stay with us to stay the night if you like."

"Thanks for the offer, but I think it is best that I sleep alone. Today was…a rough day. I need to recollect my thoughts."

"So, what do you plan to do?" asked Ducky. "You are not a full-grown dinosaur. You are big, but not an adult."

Thanks for the obvious, Ducky.

"I know," replied Littlefoot kindly, "but there is something in my mind on what I should do. I don't know. I need more time to think it through."

"Okay. Um, if you want, we will be at the watering hole."

Ducky left to join Cera and the others at the pond she was at earlier after the morning's ceremony. Littlefoot resumed eating the leaves off the branch. He remembered when he was smaller his grandfather would shake the treestars off the tree or bend the tree trunk with his big foot so Littlefoot would reach the treestars from the ground. He smiled at the memories. It reminded him why he loved treestars so much: it was his mother's gift to him.

Littlefoot finished filing his stomach with enough food and turned around. He just stared at the scenery, thinking what he should do. The trees he looked like he was staring out slowly began to move. A warm, strong breeze had made its way into the valley. Littlefoot smiled. The warm breeze gave him the comfort needed. No friend can know what he was going through and could help him. They just didn't know. The warm breeze felt like his grandparents hugging him as their souls would finally rest in the afterlife. He looked up at the sky. It was clear. Tomorrow, he had a feeling it would be like this.

"Littlefoot, you're thinking?"

Littlefoot looked down. Mr. Threehorn, Cera's gray father, looked up at Littlefoot with a concerned face. To be honest, he expected him to be the last dinosaur in the whole valley to comfort him. It wasn't shallow or anything like that, but what were the chances?

"Hello, Mr. Threehorn."

"How are you holding up?"

"Okay, I guess," said Littlefoot, answering in respect.

"Son," breathed Mr. Threehorn, only to get a flinch from Littlefoot, "words cannot describe what you are feeling-"

Really? thought Littlefoot. How about sad? Lonely? Stricken with grief?

"-but you must let this pass. When my father passed on, I was devastated. He was my role model. I learned everything from him. He was the last of my family to go. I…I just went on, because I knew what he wanted me to do. If he saw me all gloomy, he would pity me. He wanted me to live life to the fullest, which I believed I have. It pained me to see him go, but it made me stronger that I can live day by day for and because of him."

"Thanks for the message, Mr. Threehorn."

There was an awkward paused before Mr. Threehorn nodded and decided to wander off. He didn't get far before Littlefoot's voice stopped him.

"Mr. Threehorn, what do you consider me as?"

Mr. Threehorn was confused by the question, but he answered it with a smiling face.

"A teen on the outside, but an adult in the inside."

Littlefoot nodded.

"Thank you."

Mr. Threehorn walked off in content. Littlefoot took in Mr. Threehorn's answer. He viewed Littlefoot as an adult. He felt he was mature enough, and it was time anyways. Ducky mentioned that she and the others were at the watering hole. He headed towards that direction, with a content look on his face.

He walked towards the running water that cut the valley into three main sections and followed one of the rivers up to the watering hole, one of the sources of all the water in the Great Valley. He went through some thick trees and made it to the watering hole. He was greeting by Ducky's smile. Ducky and Spike were in the pond. Petrie was relaxing on the sleeping Cera's back.

"Littlefoot."

Ducky's word made Spike look in the direction Ducky was, made Petrie stand up slowly, and gradually woke Cera up. Petrie fell over to Littlefoot and landed on the ground in front of him.

"Hi, Littlefoot," he greeted. "Are you-"

"So, Littlefoot," said Ducky. "What do you want to do?"

Cera, Ducky and Spike walked towards him and stood next to Petrie. Littlefoot made a small smile.

"Guys, I just wanted to thank you, for always being there for me."

"Of course," said Petrie happily. "We are your friends."

"Yes, yes, yes," said Ducky. "We will always be."

Spike nodded happily.

Littlefoot looked and paused at all his childhood friends individually. He remembered when he first met each one and most of the adventures they had.

"We have grown with each other. I'm grateful for that, but things always change."

"Of course, they do," said Cera. "I mean we've changed; we're bigger now."

"Yes," said Littlefoot, "but with also being bigger, we set our priorities first to live fulfilling lives. I believe that is what I must do. My grandparents would've wanted me to do this."

"Do what?" asked Petrie.

Ducky's smile dropped.

"Littlefoot?"

"I need to leave the Great Valley."


	3. Departure

The sun rose high the next morning. The dwellers of the Great Valley watched as a dinosaur who grew up with them was departing from the valley. Littlefoot walked nonchalantly through the grassy ground. Dinosaurs stood line-up on his right and left sides, like if he was a celebrity walking down the red carpet as a star. He stood focus on the path before him as dinosaurs whispered amongst their closest neighbors. He passed his friends, who looked at him with either saddened or hurt eyes. He did not look at them directly; only the corner of his eyes spotted them.

He would miss them, but he had to do this. His instincts told him to. He faced extinction of his herd he didn't do this. He was the last hope of the future. Both of his grandparents and mother were dead, and he had the faintest idea where his father could be. Being an only child had to suck at times, and this was one of them. His bloodline, his future, was at stake. He passed the lined-up dinosaurs and made it to the end of the two lines. At the end of right line, Mr. Threehorn stood proudly. His voice stopped Littlefoot.

"Littlefoot, are you sure? You don't even know what dangers lie-"

"That I do. I went several times out into the Mysterious Beyond. I have experience."

"But Littlefoot, that was in your child years."

Littlefoot thought about it.

"True."

"All I'm trying to say is that you don't know what dangers lie ahead. What if you end up-"

"Daddy!"

Littlefoot and Mr. Threehorn looked to see Cera standing a few feet behind Littlefoot. She sighed and looked up at Littlefoot.

"I know it's tough for you, Littlefoot, but think about it. What makes you so sure that you can find someone to expand your herd with?"

"Well, I'm gambling my life, but I had too. I'm the only young longneck here. There is not one close to my age and being female."

He turned his head around and faced the sloppy exit of the Great Valley.

"But what about Ali?"

The sound of that named made Littlefoot flinch. Ali was another Apatosaurus; a female as a matter of fact. She had pinkish purple scales and blue eyes. She was exactly Littlefoot's age, probably a few weeks younger. They were considered to be cousins, but they were actually third-cousins, only related through main description of being longnecks. He saw through Cera and smirked, not facing her.

"Ali hasn't been to the valley in three years. I have to let her go."

"But what about all the talk about her and your dreams? Remembered that? We all laughed, and you walked away in anger, crying to your grandparents about it."

Littlefoot quickly turned his head around and lowered his head closer to Cera.

"I wasn't crying about it. I was just…complaining."

"Crying; complaining. Same thing."

Littlefoot narrowed his eyes and raised his head. He looked in front of him.

"Still, I can't wait for her," he said, not looking at anyone, and then said in a quieter voice, "She most likely found someone."

He closed his eyes and sighed, relaxing his state of mind. He opened them and stared at the path before him.

"Well, goodbye everyone. I hope to see you all again."

Littlefoot marched towards the exit of the valley. Everyone stood still, watching his every move. In a few moments, he would be out of view. Ducky jogged up to the front of the two lines and spoke up.

"Littlefoot, please…"

Littlefoot disappeared behind the outer walls of the Great Valley. Ducky dropped her head and then whispered gently.

"…don't go."

* * *

><p>The sun had reached its highest point of the day and was now slowly beginning to descent. The heat reflected off the cracked ground by the sun's rays of light, radiating a seeable small wave. Some dead trees dampened the scenery of the landscape. Mountains were in view, but they seemed miles away. Littlefoot continued to walk across this barren wasteland.<p>

I guess this used to be a water place, thought Littlefoot.

He figured out so since the cracks were propagated like the breaking of a very brittle ceramic. He knew water did this. Mr. Thicknose had told him information about this cracking ground. It only happened when the surface is very wet and then it is heated by the sun very quickly, according the Mr. Thicknose. Basically, it was just taking something moist, like clay, and heating it up fast.

Littlefoot pressed onward, walking for about an hour across this wasteland. The only thing in scenery that changed was the mountains; they got bigger, even though he was still several miles away from them.

Man, what can I do to kill time? When I went adventuring, what did I do to pass the time? The only thing I can remember is singing…gaily. It was still somewhat good, but pointless. Well, I'm not going to. Besides, I have nothing to sing about. When I got bigger, it sort of went away. Don't know if it's good or bad, but I shouldn't sing.

Soon, a sharp pain shot through his mouth. His mind felt the words wanting to express his feelings. He tried his best to keep the words from escaping.

What's hap…pening? My mind… My mind is telling me to sing. Must resist singing. Must still have some respect and not sound like a...homosexual dinosaur.

The words in his mind fired inside his mouth. Littlefoot had to admit defeat. He opened his mouth, but a voice from the distance stopped him. He turned back and saw another longneck walking his way. She had steel blue-colored scales and a light gray-blue underbelly, the belly of a crocodile. She had hazel eyes and a young appearance. She appeared to be close to Littlefoot's age, probably a couple of weeks younger. She approached Littlefoot with a smile.

"Hey," she greeted as she was relatively close to him.

"Hi," replied Littlefoot.

She stopped a few feet in front of him.

"Oh, I saw you walking out here by yourself."

"Aren't you also by yourself?" asked Littlefoot.

"The more the reason I should accompany you."

"And the more reason I say you're spontaneously creeping. You just come up here and invite yourself."

"Wow. So you're a longjerk. I thought you would be enthralled by my beauty. Being the only male out here seems lonely. At least, I would've thought a companion would've brightened your moods, a female over a male."

Littlefoot sighed.

"Are you trying to make me sound like the bad guy…because it's working. I just think it's weird that you show up from nowhere and decide to tag alone with me."

"Well, I did spot you awhile back, but you were too far away and thought to be a mirage. I lowered my head down, lost in thoughts. When I looked back up, I saw you again, only closer. You also seemed deep in thought, or had a cramp. I couldn't tell. So, that's when I called you out."

"It still doesn't explain why you're out here by yourself."

"Oh… I care not to talk about it. It's…"

Her voice dropped, and she sighed.

"You're right. It was stupid of me to invite myself with you. I'll be on my way."

She marched passed Littlefoot, looking down in shame. Littlefoot glanced at her as she walked onward. Guilt quickly overtook him. It was either that or the power of females to make males feel damn inferior. He turned towards her.

"Wait," Littlefoot called out.

The female stopped and looked back. Littlefoot neared her and stopped only a few feet next to her.

"Listen, I know we started off bad. I want to start anew."

"But how can you start anew. We already talked to each other. How can you erase that?"

"… You're right, but we can always make it better."

"Once broken, it's broken."

Littlefoot shook his head.

"No. Everything…most things can be fixed."

"Like what?"

"The broken heart," Littlefoot answered calmly.

The female's tensed facial expression dropped.

"I don't know what happened to you. The same goes for me; you don't know what happened to me. Things can only get better…good…um…you know what I mean."

The female giggled a little and formed a smile.

"I know what you mean. Thanks. We can travel together. The name's Janet."

"I'm Littlefoot."

Littlefoot looked up at the sun. Sunset was soon. He faced Janet.

"It'll be dark soon. We need to find a place to stay."

Janet nodded. The two dinosaurs resumed walking, not really talking to get to know the other. Shelter was the most important thing now. They could talk later. The sun was going to be gone soon. Luckily, they would near the base of the distant mountains before then.


	4. Bonding

Night came sooner than expected. Littlefoot and Janet had found shelter under a half-arching cliff. They had made it to the base of the mountain that was in view during the daylight. Janet rested near the smooth wall made of rock. She looked up at Littlefoot, who was looking left to right for enemies. He slowly turned towards her and walked to her.

"I think it's…pretty safe."

"Well, good for you for lowering my confidence."

Littlefoot rolled his eyes.

"I just don't want to say it's completely safe and then a sharptooth attacks."

He sat down next to her. She looked at him curiously as he was facing out towards the land.

"Littlefoot, what are you doing?"

He faced her.

"Well, I'm keeping guard. It's kind of dangerous out here. You know, the whole Mysterious Beyond and stuff."

"Oh, but what about tomorrow? I mean we need our energy."

"Relax, Janet," said a smiling Littlefoot. "I'll be fine. You get some rest."

She unsurely lowered her head down on the ground and closed her eyes to get some rest. She opened them a moment later. She spoke without her head being lifted off the ground; only her eyes rolled over to look at Littlefoot.

"Just no touching along the waist."

Littlefoot looked down at her face.

"O-kay. It wasn't my intention, but okay."

"Then what was?"

Littlefoot slightly moved his head to the left so not to make eye contact with Janet. Janet only saw the right side of his face.

"Just…um…kissing you."

"What nerve!" said Janet, lifting her head up. "That's it. I'm not sleeping. I have to keep watch of your horny mouth."

Littlefoot faced her.

"It was just a little joke."

"Joke or not, I don't want to get screwed."

Littlefoot blushed.

"I wasn't thinking about doing that."

Janet took a few seconds to process what was said and blushed. She narrowed her eyes.

"I didn't mean that, you pervert."

"Okay, but let's get to the topic on claw," said Littlefoot, his face turning to normal. "You need rest. We have a long walk ahead. I promise I won't do anything to you."

Janet looked into Littlefoot's eyes. They showed honesty. Her face relaxed.

"Alright."

She set her head on the ground again. The ground was like a heater, keeping her warm. She liked the feeling. Not because she was cold, but it was that she longed for warmth. She was the last one of her herd out here. She was the only hope of the future. She looked up at Littlefoot from the ground she rested on.

"Littlefoot?"

Littlefoot looked down at her face again from his watch.

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering… I mean we don't know much about each, so…should we talk about… Do you want to…?"

"Tell a little bit about ourselves? Where did I begin? Let's see, it's been a while since I've seen the Mysterious Beyond. I was a kid when my grandparents and I or just my friends and I ventured out here. I grew up in the Great Valley."

"I know of that place," said Janet. "I heard it was a place. Is it true that it is safe?"

"Most of the times. Sometimes earthshakes and sky water will change the valley to a point where sharpteeth did enter, but our parents, or us, always left them running away with their tail between their hind."

"Well, most of the times seem good to me. Don't have to deal with the Mysterious Beyond."

"Why are you out here alone, Janet?"

Her happy expression dropped. Her eyes glittered as if they were going to cry. Littlefoot dropped his expression.

"I'm sorry for asking."

She blinked to clear the water and slightly smiled.

"It's okay. I…was with my herd. We were stopping in an area to rest. Our herd was few in numbers. It was just me, my parents, and my brother. I am the youngest. My parents were very weak from a few days ago. We were heading to the Great Valley. I never heard of it before until my parents told me it was a safe place. As we relaxed, a small group of big sharpteeth appeared. They attacked my parents first. They did the best to defend, as we also tried our best, but they were taken down. My brother knew the outcome of our fate. He told me to run and to not look back. I…I did what he said. I ran and ran until I knew I was in a safe place. My family…all gone."

Tears filled her eyes, and she lowered her neck to cry. Littlefoot lowered her neck to her and rubbed the top of her head. Tears stopped flowing down as she felt his touch. He lifted his head off slightly. She faced him, five inches from his face.

"I'm sorry. It was just that I thought you needed a friend."

She slightly smiled.

"Thank you, Littlefoot. Um…enough about sad thoughts. What about you?"

"You said no more sad thoughts."

Her smile faded away, and her eyes looked down, away from Littlefoot.

"Sorry."

Littlefoot sighed.

"Well, it isn't fair that I keep my family a secret when you told me about your family. I was born and raised in the Mysterious Beyond by my mother, grandpa, and grandma. We were heading to the Great Valley. During the trip, my mother protected me from a sharptooth, sacrificing her life. My friends and I made it to the Great Valley. I found my grandparents there. In recent cold times, my dad has been in my life. I haven't seen much of him lately, because he is leading his herd. His visits in the pasts were frequent, but they've all just stopped. Recently, my grandparents died. They took care of me after I made it to the Great Valley. I will miss them. At least, they met my mother in an other world."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Um, why don't we get some rest? All this sadness is sure depressing."

"As I said, I'll keep guard. Goodnight, Janet."

Littlefoot lifted his head up and turned towards the shadowy landscape to watch out for predators. Janet rested her head on the ground again.

"Goodnight, Littlefoot."

* * *

><p>The sun rose the next morning. Janet opened her eyes to see Littlefoot laying down, sleeping. She got up and looked down at him. A smile of mischief crept on her face. She lifted her front left foot and stomped the ground really hard next to Littlefoot's head. Littlefoot sprung his eyes wide-open and lifted his neck up promptly. He irritably looked back to see the standing Janet looking down at him.<p>

"Wake up, sleepyhead," she said in a sarcastic tone. "Humph! Some guard you are; sleeping on the job. Way to boost my confidence."

Littlefoot yawned and stood up.

"I must have dozed off," he said in no one particular.

"No," replied Janet mockingly. "Really?"

Littlefoot faced Janet.

"It was just a silly mistake. Besides, it was already sunrise by the time I closed my eyes. Give me a break. We had a long day of walking."

"But what happened to 'I don't need sleep'."

"… Then you keep watch tonight."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"You know how males are supposedly masculine, right? Where's your masculinity if you let a female keep guard as you rest?"

Littlefoot knew where this was going.

"Yeah," he replied, slightly disdainfully. "Attack my masculinity. You're a real female for doing that."

"Listen, Littlefoot. We females need our beauty sleep."

"Is that what you call it? Well, you need more then. I say a day or two to get somewhat decent."

Janet narrowed her eyes and whipped Littlefoot's head with his tail. He blinked his eyes at the sting.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"You know why."

"But you started it."

"It doesn't matter."

"Ye…"

Littlefoot's stomach growled. He smiled in embarrassment.

"I guess it's time for breakfast."

"Way passed it, sleeping beast," replied Janet, annoyed at Littlefoot for calling her out on her looks.

"Let's just forget about now, and find some treestars or something."

"Says the dinosaur who has forgotten that we're in a wasteland."

Littlefoot looked around, remembering he was in a barren land. He sighed.

"Well, we can't just sit around all day. Let's go find some food."

"I think that's our only option here, Mr. Oblivious."

Littlefoot narrowed his eyes.

"Janet, you need to relax. I'm sorry for the whole sleepy beauty thing. It is working really well for you. Honest."

Janet blushed in happiness.

"Thank you, Littlefoot. I think if we keep on going this way, we'll find some food. Just follow me."

Janet started walking north. Littlefoot stood there, shaking his head slightly.

"Females; can't live with them and can't live without them, unless you find that homo-loophole," he whispered to himself. "Rule one towards my female guide: Never tell a female off unless you want her to argue with you for the next while, or day. She will take every ounce out of a male to win. Let her win by complimenting her. That way, you can eat and stuff and not listen to her for a while."

"Are you coming or not?" asked Janet as she continued to walk forward, not facing Littlefoot.

"I'm right behind you, Janet," Littlefoot answered.

He caught up to Janet. The two walked onward through the barren wasteland, in hopes of finding breakfast.


	5. A Short Friendship

Littlefoot and Janet found a place to eat after walking for an hour. It was lunch by the time they stopped. Littlefoot looked around. The area he was in was much nicer than the wasteland. The land started to change from dead and red to lively and green after the first forty minutes of their walk. It took another twenty to find the trees that were their source of a meal. It was like going out of the dessert and into the woods. Littlefoot walked up to the first tree closest to him and was about to rip the treestars off with his mouth before he realized something. He looked back at Janet. She was just standing there.

"Janet, aren't you hungry?"

"But the trees seem so high up."

Littlefoot looked at the trees. They were pretty high. Even he knew he could barely reach the first branch. He knew his height was bigger than his length, so he hatched a method.

"Stand back, Janet."

Janet did what she was told and gave Littlefoot some space. Littlefoot kicked himself from off the ground and stood on his hind legs. His head went through half of the branches of the side of the tree he was on. He grabbed a big branch with his mouth and started to shake it, hitting nearby braches with the branch in his mouth. The treestars started to rain down to the ground. A large pile of green maple leaves formed on the ground. Littlefoot lowered his front feet to the ground, making it quiver a little. Littlefoot faced Janet and smiled.

"Breakfast is served."

Janet faintly blushed.

"Thank you."

She walked over to Littlefoot and gave him a warm smile. He smiled back. She looked down at the food and lowered her head to eat it. She got a mouthful of leaves and grinded them in her mouth. She lifted her neck up to swallow them. She faced Littlefoot.

"They're so good. Um, aren't you going to eat some?"

"That's your pile. I'll find my own."

"Littlefoot, we can share. I don't mind. This way, you can eat now."

Littlefoot nodded and lowered his head to get a mouthful of leaves. He lifted his head up to grind and swallow them. He heaved in relief.

"Boy, that _**is **_good."

Janet giggled a little.

The two longnecks continued with their breakfast. Littlefoot finished the last of the leaves. After he swallowed it, a burp came out.

"Woah. Excuse me."

Janet just shook her head.

"A total female rub off."

"I said excuse me," defended Littlefoot.

"But you get points for trying."

Littlefoot smiled a bit.

"Thanks. Um, we should get going."

Littlefoot started walking through the woods along a clear grassy path. Janet walked by his side.

"Littlefoot, I've been meaning to ask you: do you know where you're going?"

Littlefoot stopped, causing Janet to stop. Littlefoot thought hard and came up with an answer.

"Not exactly."

"So, the answer is no."

Littlefoot quickly thought about it.

"Pretty much," he said, nodding in agreement.

"Well," said Janet, looking around, "I think we're in the right trail. Yep, it appears so."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, we're like a bright circle or two from the Great Valley. Obviously, you don't want to go back there."

"No. I would be reminded everyday my grandparents are dead."

"My parents also heard of stories called Green Valley."

"Green Valley?"

"It's a luscious place filled with food and water. It's peaceful to a point, and sharpteeth rarely attack."

Janet dreamily sighed.

"Oh, and it's only our kind."

"What do you mean?"

"What else do you think 'our kind' means? It's just longnecks that live there."

A valley filled with longnecks as a permanent home? It sounded too good to Littlefoot. A smile crept along his face.

"Sounds good. Do you know where it is?"

"My mother said it was four bright circles from the Great Valley. To be honest, we were going to the Great Valley, and if my parents didn't like it, we were going to go to the Green Valley."

Littlefoot began to think.

"You said it was four bright circles away, in this direction?"

Janet nodded.

"Well, we've been walking for a day and a half in the direction it's in. Might as well check it out."

"What do you mean 'might as well'? It's paradise, Littlefoot. Green food, fresh water, and young males. Oh, the young adult males."

She faintly blushed.

"Then probably you wouldn't have liked the Great Valley."

"How come?"

"It has green food, fresh water, and one young adult male; me."

Janet's expression dropped. Litllefoot slightly grin.

"Well, we better hurry. You're not the only one trying to find a mate."

Janet gave Littlefoot a confused look. Littlefoot turned from her and continued walking towards their new destination. Janet watched him as he left. What he told her sounded like he was disappointed by that fact. She walked up to him.

"Why do you say that?"

"It's nothing."

"It has to be something. You brought it up."

"Don't worry yourself too much about it."

"Littlefoot, please tell me. Something tells me that there's another reason why you're out here. That's just it, isn't it? I mean going out in such of dangerous place because your grandparents seems…off. I would still live in the valley for safety."

"You're always so nosy," commented an agitated Littlefoot.

"Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Stuck-Up. It's just that this is what happens when a friend cares about you. I mean, you've been in friendships before, haven't you?"

"Of course. I'm not a lonely longneck."

"Then tell me, Littlefoot. I want to help you, as a friend."

"Well, it's just that…um…I'm trying to attract a female."

Janet just looked at him, trying to figure out what he meant. She slyly smiled.

"Oh, you're trying to find a mate, same as me."

Littlefoot blushed.

"Well, yeah, but I think I don't know how. I mean I come from a valley that does not have a single longneck my age living there."

"You need some guidelines to attract someone?"

Littlefoot nodded.

"Well, it would be easier for me to tell you how to attract a male, so let me tell you that."

"Wait. I'm not a homo-dinosaur."

"Um, well, sorry. It's just that the way you treated me and you asking me advice made it seem so."

"I asked you because you know what a female wants," replied an annoyed Littlefoot. "Besides, how is me treating you have anything to do with me being gay?"

"Well, the males that I've met as friends are super nice to me and don't argue with me. Because you're the opposite, I thought you didn't like the opposite gender."

"That doesn't make any sense at all!"

"See? There you go, yelling again."

Littlefoot sighed, "I'm sorry. I'm not gay. I ask you for what a female looks in a male."

"Well, politeness."

"Besides that one."

"Let's see. Charm, personality, strength, and handsomeness."

"Yeah, good luck finding a perfect male," snorted Littlefoot.

"At least, all the males I've met were better than you!"

"That's because they were trying to pound you! I'm a male. I should know."

"Oh, so are you too trying to, so-called, pound me? Is this just a grand act?"

"No, because we argue a lot, like now for instance."

"That doesn't mean you're trying!"

"Listen, I'm not. Okay? Sheesh, I'm the victim here. You know what? Why don't you just go by yourself to Green Valley? This is just day two, and you talk crap to me a third of the time. I can't deal with this."

Littlefoot looked at Janet one more time and started walking westward. Janet stood speechless as he left. Never had a male wanted to leave her. Hurt, she yelled out to Littlefoot at a distance.

"Go, you idiot! Have fun trying to find a mate with that attitude!"

Something poked her heart. It wasn't as painful as the stab she felt after her herd died, but it didn't go unnoticed. With tears in her eyes, she headed north, in the direction of Green Valley.


	6. Reunion

Littlefoot continued to walk. After walking for quite some time, Littlefoot stopped. The wind had shifted and was now blowing in his face. He looked at the direction he was going and then turned towards the direction she had gone. The wind picked up a little.

"Green Valley, eh?"

He changed direction and headed northwest.

* * *

><p>Janet continued to march onward towards Green Valley. The grudge towards Littlefoot didn't go unnoticed. Though it was over something ridiculous, the grudge was still there. She was walking through a forest of a few dead and some live trees. Janet soon reached a clearing in the forest. This clearing was filled with flowers of different daisy colors. The wind was just blowing just right; gently.<p>

In the center of the clearing lied a dinosaur of old age; beyond very old. It appeared to be a dark gray and tan dinosaur. It was panting very heavily. Janet cautiously approached the dinosaur, afraid of what it was. The breathing from the lying dinosaur became louder. Janet moved to the front view of the dinosaur, looking at its old face. He has a flat tooth showed on his left side of his mouth, probably due to his under-lip being an over-lip. Janet noticed his weak, black eyes. The dinosaur looked up at Janet.

"Oh, it's a longneck…*cough*… I'm sorry. The last time I saw a lone longneck was when I was a bit younger. He was only a little one."

Janet lowered her neck.

"Who are you?"

"… That doesn't matter young one. I'm going to the great beyond soon. Everyone will forget me soon. I had been alone for several years. I'll die alone too."

Janet shook her head.

"No," said Janet smoothly. "I'm here."

The dinosaur smiled.

"That's kind of you, Miss…but I have one question for you: Who would be by your side?"

"Oh," said Janet. "Well, I'm…alone."

"A dinosaur like yourself alone? Was there someone with you at the least?"

Janet thought about it. The last dinosaur she was with was the prideful Littlefoot. She narrowed her eyes.

"N-no."

"Are you sure?" he questioned.

"Yes."

He just shook his head and coughed.

"Aye, child. Pride is something you shouldn't hold dear to your heart."

It's not pride, thought Janet. Littlefoot is the one that's prideful.

There was a long pause before the dinosaur's cough worsened. Janet breathed in relaxation, going from her tense thinking.

"Excuse me," said the dinosaur.

Janet just slightly smiled.

"Don't be," she said.

The dinosaur grinned.

"Such a kind child."

"Please, don't call me that. I'm not kind."

Janet was silent for a few moments before continuing.

"You were right. I was traveling with a friend. We got into a fight and…"

"He left you alone."

Janet sighed.

"I don't know. It was probably my fault."

The dinosaur lightly coughed and shook his head in disagreement.

"It is not your fault."

"Then it's his."

"It is not your friend's fault. It is nobody's fault. Friendships will always be tested, but if they are strong, they should never be destroyed. It's just the test of the Circle of Life."

Janet was going to respond when something roared neared them. Janet looked behind her as the old dinosaur focused his black eyes behind Janet. An Albertosaurus with green scales with green-yellow stripes along its back came out into the clearing. It stood about nine and a half meters in length, a little taller than Janet. She fully turned around towards the sharptooth. The ferocious best roared at Janet and the dinosaur. Janet stood in stance, ready to fight. The old dinosaur noticed that she was shaking.

"Leave me. I am old. Run with your life."

"I can't do that!"

The sharptooth roared and stomped towards her. It once again roared when he was only six feet away from her. His mouth lunged at her, almost biting her neck. She had moved her neck back, avoiding the attack. She glared at it and whipped her tail at it. The sharptooth roared in annoyance, stepping back a bit. It shook its head to get rid of the sting and attacked again. Janet kept it at bay with her tail. After the second tail whip, the sharptooth knew what was up. Janet was about to smack it with her tail when the sharptooth jumped and bit her tail. She raised her tail up, hoisting the sharptooth up like a fish caught by a fishing rod and bashed it with her head to let go. The sharptooth fell to the ground. As the sharptooth tried to get on its two big legs, Janet moved a little bit back. She glanced at the blood slightly pouring out from middle of the middle and the end of her tail. It stung, but she wasn't going to be a meal.

Her options were limited. With her tail bitten, she was afraid of using it. It might cause more blood to flow out and end the battle quicker. The sharptooth got to its feet and looked at it. Sharpteeth were brutes, but they weren't completely stupid. It noticed the blood. The sharptooth grinned and roared. It knew the tail wasn't going to be an annoyance anymore. It jumped towards Janet, latching onto Janet's side with its claws. A tail flew out of nowhere and smacked the Albertosaurus's head. The sharptooth fell down to the ground on its back. The old dinosaur had seen the stranger, but Janet had been to focus on the battle for her life. She faced, panting heavily. She looked to behind and saw the male she had told off not too long ago.

"Little…foot," she breathed.

"Don't talk and stand back," Littlefoot ordered without facing her.

Janet stood still for a moment before she just simply nodded. Littlefoot faced his opponent. The Albertosaurus had just gotten up and faced Littlefoot. It roared. Littlefoot attacked the beast with his tail. The sharpteeth defended himself by withstanding the blow and jumped towards Littlefoot. Littlefoot lifted his hind legs, like a horse but not as high. By doing so, he avoided the sharptooth's teeth. He kicked out his hind legs and smacked the sharptooth's head, giving it concussion. It fell to the floor and closed its eyes, breathing slowly for now. Littlefoot inhaled deeply and turned around. He faced Janet before turning his attention towards the elderly dinosaur.

"Mister, are you alright?"

The dinosaur stared into Littlefoot's eyes and smiled.

"My, I remember those same eyes."

Littlefoot was confused by what he said. A thought crept into Janet's head. The elder had mentioned meeting one other lone longneck as a child. Could it be Littlefoot?

"You may not remember, because you were so young, but a lone longneck child was crying about his mother passing on and blaming her for abandoning him."

Littlefoot thought back to the times during and after his mother's death. He was crying about the things that happened, mad and scared, when he slipped on something and landed on an elderly dinosaur. It appeared to be a Scolosaurus. Littlefoot's eyes widened in shock. The weak dinosaur smiled.

"You remember," said the dinosaur, confirming it by Littlefoot's eyes. "The Great Circle of Life must have treated you well all these cold times."

Littlefoot was speechless for the moment. He just nodded.

"Your lady friend mentioned that she had left her friend. You must be together."

Janet blushed.

"Well, not like that," she commented.

"We're on our way to Green Valley," explained Littlefoot. "Well, we were, until we got into a fight."

The elder just smiled.

"I think all is forgiven. You came to save her and my short life, and she seems relief you appeared."

The Scolosaurus coughed.

"Can I ask who you are?" asked Littlefoot. "You helped me realize my mother's death wasn't anyone's fault."

"Remember me as Rooter. These old bones are not as they used to be."

Rooter coughed again.

"I've picked a nice place for my final rest. Young ones, the place you search for is passed these trees. You are close. Don't give up on yourselves, and your friendship. The Great Circle calls me."

He closed his eyes and slowly breathed. His breathing soon stopped. Littlefoot lowered his head in respect as Janet did the same. Janet glanced towards Littlefoot and smoothly addressed him.

"Littlefoot?"

Littlefoot slowly lifted his head and faced Janet. She exhaled heavily before talking.

"I'm sorry for the fight. Probably you're right. I give you too much crap rather than credit."

"It's my fault too, Janet. Friends stick together. I failed at that. After thinking about it, I decided to catch up to you. I just didn't expect…"

He glanced over at the still sharptooth.

"…that."

Janet smiled. She extended her neck out and rubbed Littlefoot's cheek against his cheek. Littlefoot blushed. She parted and giggled at Littlefoot's flushed face.

"Thank you, Littlefoot."

Littlefoot turned away in embarrassment to hide his face from Janet. His eyes spotted the corpse of Rooter, and his blush faded away. He just stared at Rooter and smiled faintly.

"Thank you, Rooter."

He looked at Rooter for a few seconds before he felt something. Janet nudged him, causing him to look at her.

"Littlefoot, we should go."

Littlefoot nodded. Janet started continuing the path up north. Littlefoot looked at Rooter once more. He soon felt the wind pick up. The calm breeze was enough to comfort him. It was like if Rooter's spirit was assuring him that he would be alright. He smiled and closed his eyes to enjoy the warm breeze.

"Littlefoot," echoed Janet's voice.

Littlefoot opened his eyes and took one more good look at Rooter before enter the thick northern parts of the woods. He walked only for five minutes before catching up with Janet. Janet looked back once she heard him coming. She had cleared the woods and was standing right outside of them. Littlefoot stopped next to her. She looked up ahead.

"Do you see that?"

Off in the near distance were walls of a valley. Green was seen at the top of the valley walls. The place ahead of them was a short walk of seven miles to the base of it. Janet smiled.

"That is the place where green grows on the tops of the walls, almost overflowing from the inside. Littlefoot, that's Green Valley."

Littlefoot smiled.

"Then we're almost there. C'mon. I bet we can reach it before nightfall."

Happily, the two longnecks walked towards the valley, reaching their short-term goal.


	7. Welcome

Littlefoot and Janet had made it to the base of the valley's walls. Sunset was pretty soon, so they looked around from where they stood to find a path that led inside. After seeing nothing, they started walking along the valley walls in hopes of finding a way in. They didn't wonder off too far. A trail, wide enough for them walking up in a line, wound up to the top of the valley's walls. They faced each other.

"I guess this is the only way in."

Janet looked pass Littlefoot, out in the dried land and at the sun.

"The sun is about to set too. We better get a move on. Lead the way, Littlefoot."

"I hope there is not a sheer drop on the other side," commented Littlefoot as he started to walk up the cliff's slope.

Janet followed him closely behind.

"Just don't jinx it."

* * *

><p>Inside the valley walls was a large piece of land filled with green and some blue. There were clearings in this large unshaped area, but trees took up some of the space. A large river cut through the valley from flooded underground springs that became more shallower as it spread throughout the valley, forming three uneven rivers and a couple of pounds. This area was only inhabited by large plant-eaters known as longnecks. They varied from species to species, but most looked the same. Along with the common longnecks, two of them were near one of the ponds, drinking water. The longnecks were of opposite sex: one male and one female. The male was a tall longneck, but not much taller than Littlefoot. He had a brown scale-scheme and green eyes. The female longneck was a little smaller than the male longneck standing beside her. She had blue eyes and a pinkish purple scheme of scales. Both had known each other since they were children, due to their herds merging with each other. Unfortunately, they were the last of their herd. They had found Green Valley by joining a group of longnecks on their way towards it. The male lifted his head from taking a drink and looked at the setting sun.<p>

"It's getting late. I'm going back to the spot. Ali, are you ready?"

The female longneck lifted her neck up and faced the male. She nodded.

"Yeah, Rhett."

The two longnecks started walking back to the spot they rested at every night. As they walked, they saw that other longnecks were walking towards the entrance. The entrance to the valley was a smooth slope along one of the valley walls. It was kind of a big event to have the whole valley march to the entrance. Rhett viewed it as an excuse to do something.

"C'mon, Ali."

"Rhett, aren't you curious on who came?"

"A little, but I'm sleepy."

"But it's rude to not greet them."

"I'm sure they won't mind. I'll welcome them tomorrow."

Ali looked towards the entrance. The crowd had grown to become noticeable. She looked back at Rhett.

"C'mon, Rhett," she urged.

Rhett knew that Ali was probably going without him if he stood his ground. He slightly smiled.

"Fine, but I'll just greet them, and then go to sleep."

Ali smiled. The two longnecks made their way over to the crowd. As usual, the leader and his mate were in the front of the crowd. Both were adult longnecks that were starting to form wrinkles of old age. Their old age didn't stop them from fighting off sharpteeth. The female longneck was only four inches shorter than the male. She was a light bluish longneck with hazel eyes. The tall male that stood next to her was a dark forest green longneck with sea blue eyes. They were related to the Apatosaurus; they were best described as Supersauruses. They were the only ones in the valley. The two gigantic dinosaurs saw the two longnecks coming down from the cliff and touching the ground.

"That wasn't that bad," said Littlefoot, giving his thoughts on the climb up.

"Even though you tripped."

Littlefoot looked back.

"At least I kept my balance."

"I'll give you credit for that," smiled Janet.

Littlefoot looked forward to see where he was walking. He stopped as he saw a big herd of longnecks just looking at them. The two Supersauruses seemed intimidating. Littlefoot glanced back and saw Janet had stopped and was a little behind him on his right side. Littlefoot gulped and proceeded to greet the two huge longnecks. The Supersauruses looked down at them and smiled. It gave Littlefoot the confidence to speak.

"Hi," Littlefoot said.

"Hello," said the male Supersaurus.

"Um… Is this your valley?"

The Supersaurus lowered his neck to Littlefoot's level and chuckled.

"Relax, child. Tell me what brings you here?"

"Well, I come here because of my grandparents. They…died a few days ago. I walked from where I live, being the only member of my home, in search for my own kind. I then met Janet, and she mentioned this place."

Littlefoot felt the cold stare he was receiving from Janet. It was like he was putting the blame on her. The female Supersaurus looked down at Janet.

"Mmm… Dear, what made you two come all this way by yourselves? We rarely see a pair of longnecks only walking together. Where's your herd?"

"… My herd…" Janet paused, remembering what happened. Her eyes began to water. "They died…trying to protect me. I was wandering by myself before I met Littlefoot."

The female Supersaurus glanced at the male longneck Janet called Littlefoot. She looked back at Janet.

"I'm sorry to hear that. My name is Grace, and this is my mate Chris."

"I'm Janet, and, of course, he's Littlefoot."

"When you say 'he', does that mean you're not…"

"Mates?" finished Janet, lightly blushing. "Oh, no, but we're friends."

"So, you two were in search of a new home?" asked Chris.

Janet nodded.

"Yes," replied Littlefoot. "We…would be glad to find a home."

"Look no further," smiled Chris. "You are welcomed here."

Janet smiled. Finally, she arrived to a place she could call home. She faced Chris with her bright face.

"Thank you, Chris."

Chris smiled.

"Well, the sun is about to set. Littlefoot, we need to talk tomorrow. Meet me here when the bright circle is rising over the valley walls."

Littlefoot nodded.

"Alright, Chris."

Chris looked up and saw that rays of the sun disappearing and the moon rising.

"Well, we best retire for the night. Goodnight. Come, Dear."

Chris turned around slowly. The herd of longnecks moved to clear a path for him. He marched down the path. Grace faced the two young longnecks.

"Goodnight," she said sweetly.

She turned around and followed her mate. Once the two Supersauruses were a good distance away from the herd, the herd started to disperse, going up to Littlefoot and Janet and welcoming them briefly. Most of the longnecks had gone before Ali and Rhett walked up to Janet and Littlefoot. Rhett faced Janet.

"Hello," he said. "The name's Rhett."

Littlefoot was stunned to hear the name he heard at one time in his life. The Rhett he knew was a longneck that tricked Ali and later befriended him when he found the errors of his ways. Littlefoot didn't think of it much. It could be another Rhett. Littlefoot looked at the female, who was slowly expanding her smile at him.

"And you are?"

"Don't you remember, Littlefoot?"

Littlefoot gave Ali a confused look, receiving confused looks from Janet and Rhett. Then Littlefoot looked into her blue eyes. He saw the past with this dinosaur being revealed through her eyes. With her eyes and looks, Littlefoot grew happily in surprise.

"Ali?"

"You do remember. It's been a long time."

"It sure has."

Littlefoot looked from Ali to Rhett.

"I thought you looked familiar, Rhett."

Rhett looked at Littlefoot and remembered that he met only one longneck with the name. Rhett's eyes widened.

"Well, I'll be a spike tail's uncle. It is Littlefoot. How long has it been? Nine? Ten cold times?"

"Probably more," said Littlefoot.

He looked back at Janet and grinned.

"Janet, I've known Ali and Rhett since we were kids."

He looked back at Ali and Rhett.

"How did you guys find this place?"

Smiles dropped from them, which caused Littlefoot to drop his happy state. Rhett started to explain.

"We were a big migrating herd back then. We traveled from place to place, knowing and seeing a lot. One day, we were walking near a smoking mountain. As we did, an earthshake happened. When the earthshake happened, fire water came out of the smoking mountain. The land broke, and fire pits became the resting places from the majority of our herd, including our leader. Only thirteen of us escaped. With now thirteen of us and leaderless, we decided to settle down in a land of our own kind. We wandered for many bright circles. Along the way, we heard of Green Valley and decided that to be our new home. We lost many along the way, but four of us made it here. During our stay, we have never gone outside the valley walls."

"That's…," began Janet. "I can't even find the words. It's so horrible."

"That's behind us now," said Ali. "We must move forward and live life long and happy. So, Littlefoot, weren't you living in the Great Valley?"

"I was…until my grandparents died. I decided to find a new home. I couldn't bare staying in a place that would remind me of my grandparents everyday. Fortunately, I met Janet, and she showed me the way."

"And I have Littlefoot to thank too," said Janet. "If we hadn't met, I would probably be sharpteeth dinner. I was walking alone, and we kind of bonked into each other."

Littlefoot faced Janet.

"Kind of?"

"Okay, _bonked_ into each other."

More like followed me, thought Littlefoot.

"I believe I owe Littlefoot the biggest thank you. Out in the Mysterious Beyond, he protected me, gave me food, and fought off a sharptooth, knocking it out."

Ali and Rhett looked at Littlefoot with impressed eyes. He slightly blushed. Littlefoot looked up and saw that the moon had risen up high into the sky. Littlefoot looked back at Rhett and Ali.

"Well, it's getting late, and Chris wants to talk to me tomorrow. I'm going to find a place to rest. Goodnight."

Littlefoot started to walk off. Janet yawned.

"Excuse me," she slightly smiled in embarrassment. "I must be tired too. I'll hopefully see you tomorrow. Goodnight Ali and Rhett."

"Night," said Rhett.

"Goodnight," said Ali.

Janet left and walked in Littlefoot's direction to catch him up. Ali and Rhett saw that Littlefoot stopped, as if sensing Janet. He waited for her, and the two dinosaurs pressed onward to find a place to rest. Rhett yawned.

"Well, it's nice to see Littlefoot again. C'mon, Ali."

Rhett started walking in a different direction from Littlefoot's direction. Ali took a moment to see Littlefoot's figure disappear behind some trees. She slightly smiled.

"Well, Littlefoot," whispered Ali. "I guess you found someone…as I'm alone."

Rhett's voice echoed into her earhole.

"C'mon, Ali."

Ali sighed and followed Rhett to their sleeping spot.


	8. Adjusting

Chris stood proudly at the entrance that Littlefoot and Janet entered through to the valley yesterday. He watched as the valley residents slept peacefully. The morning sun had not passed over the valley's walls, but it would in about a minute or two. Loose leaves sailed across the mild wind. Chris looked slightly up at the sky.

"Mmm… It's going to be a cold one."

He heard footsteps approaching him at a near distance. He saw Littlefoot walking across the grassy clearings of Green Valley. Chris smiled. Littlefoot was still walking, only over few meters away from him.

"Good morning, Littlefoot. Heh. I thought you weren't going to show up. You young adults like to sleep in."

Littlefoot stood near him now, only a few feet away.

"Trust me, Chris. Sleep and I are best friends after that long walk."

"Yep. The Mysterious Beyond can mess up your sleep patterns. You're always on the alert, especially since there are only two of you."

A portion of the sun had risen over the valley's walls.

"Well, Littlefoot. There are two reasons I called you out here. First, let's get down to business. There are some things you should know. Green Valley is populated by all sorts of longnecks, as you saw yesterday. Even though to most, it is considered a great haven, there are some dangers. There is sinking sand deep in the woods of the valley. It is small, but it is still worth mentioning. We rarely have them, but earthshakes may happen. During the cold time, there is a place a bright circle away from here we go to for warmth. I believe that's it. It's usually quiet here. You got all that, son?"

Littlefoot nodded. Chris smiled.

"Good. Now onto the second task at hand. Mating season is soon. The cold time is over, and it is only a few bright circles away."

Littlefoot slightly blushed. Chris continued.

"I bring this up because there is a large spot we call the mating spot. We decided to put it there to keep our children away from...seeing all the action. I will tell you this: unfortunately, we are three females short this Cold Time around. I see no problems for you, but I just wanted to let you know."

"I appreciate that, Chris," Littlefoot replied, with his blush fading away. "When do I know…uh..."

Chris laughed.

"Mating season has started? Grace and I will be the ones leading you and the other longnecks to the spot. It is a ritual we perform...um, not the mating though. The time Grace and I are there, you talk amongst yourselves. We do this in order to give longnecks who have never met our residents or had just arrived in the valley the opportunity to acquaint themselves with other longnecks."

"Oh."

Chris smiled and looked behind Littlefoot.

"Oh, the sun has risen over the rocky walls. I'm pretty sure you're hungry."

Littlefoot nodded.

"Well, I'll talk to you later, Littlefoot. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

"Okay. Thanks, Chris."

With that said, Chris walked by Littlefoot, returning to his sleeping spot. Littlefoot headed in a direction a little different than Chris's direction. Littlefoot walked from the grassy plains into a section of the woods. He didn't go far before stopping near a flowing river. For the night, Janet and Littlefoot agreed to sleep near the river in the forest. Janet was still sleeping. The rays of the morning sun hadn't disturbed her from her slumber. Littlefoot walked up to her and nudged her cheek with his nose.

"Janet, wake up."

Littlefoot lifted his head up and turned towards the water. After taking four steps towards the deep river, he lowered his head and began to drink. After taking two gulps of water, he glanced back at Janet. She was still sleeping.

"Janet?"

"Mmm…"

She still remained asleep. Littlefoot shook his head and looked at his reflection in the water. He slyly grinned. He looked back at Janet to see if she was stirring up from her sleep. No luck. Littlefoot sucked some water into his mouth and retained it in there. He then rotated himself a little in order to mover his head over to Janet's head without lifting it. Janet was still asleep, but she needed to be woken up. Littlefoot poured out the little water he had in his mouth. Janet's eyes sprung wide. She looked up and saw Littlefoot's face. She narrowed her eyes.

"What did you do that for?"

"To wake you up. It's late."

Irritated, she rose to her feet.

"I can sleep in if I want. We had a long day of walking."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts! I need my rest. Besides, you spat on me. Jerk."

"No, I poured water on you."

"Same thing!"

She looked around and noticed that two of Littlefoot's legs were on the edge to the river. She grinned. Littlefoot grew nervous.

"Janet, what are you thinking?"

Janet unexpectedly started to push Littlefoot. He was surprised by this, so both of his legs near the river lost their footing. He would have retained his balance if all of his feet touched solid ground. He lost his balance and fell into the river on his side. A huge splash followed, even wetting Janet. Janet shook her head off as Littlefoot stood up. The water reached the bottom half of his body. Janet looked at him and giggled.

"I was meaning to tell you that you needed a bath."

Littlefoot groaned and noticed that Janet was very close to the river. He smiled. Janet's eyes were close as he wrapped his tail around one of Janet's legs. Janet felt this and stopped laughing. She looked at Littlefoot with a stern face.

"Don't you even dare."

Littlefoot pulled Janet's leg into the water. Her body followed, falling near Littlefoot without hitting him. She stood up and spat out smoothly the water her mouth caught. She dully looked at the laughing Littlefoot.

"Littlefoot," Janet said in her irritated voice.

"Oh, c'mon, Janet. It isn't that bad."

Littlefoot was right. The water wasn't that bad. It was nice and settled. She barely smiled.

"I guess you're right…for once."

"And look. We can reach the trees on the other side from here."

Littlefoot turned around and faced the other side of the river. He leaned over with his massive, long neck and managed to grab some leaves from the trees near the river. He began consuming the treestars. He smiled when he swallowed his first batch.

"That hits the spot. Janet, you should try this."

Seeing Littlefoot eat reminded her that she was hungry. She walked up to him and looked at the tree she was eating from. She leaned over and got some leaves in her mouth. She smiled as she swallowed them.

"These are good."

She turned to look at Littlefoot.

"You know, you could just nudge me to wake up."

"I did."

"Wow. I must've been really tired."

Littlefoot took another mouthful from the tree they were sharing.

"You sure love treestars."

Littlefoot gulped his leaves down.

"Yeah," he slightly smiled. "They remind me of my mother."

Janet's face softened.

"Oh… Littlefoot, what was your mother like?"

"She was amazing," he answered, remembering her image. "She had such a heart for others and always wished the best for me. She protected me from any danger and gave me wise advice. She…she was good to me. Without her, I would've never reached the Great Valley as a baby."

"You were a lone baby journeying to the Great Valley?"

"There were five of us: me, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike. We were all babies, but we managed to reach the valley."

"That's amazing. Your mother… I think she would've been proud of you."

Littlefoot slightly smirked.

"I believe she is."

Janet smiled. She leaned over to get another serving of leaves. She grinded them with her teeth and then swallowed them. She then looked at Littlefoot and noticed his head wasn't exactly wet. She lowered her head to get some water and lifted it back up. Littlefoot thought Janet was just going to drink it. She looked at Littlefoot and spat the water at him. Littlefoot closed his eyes as water drowned his face. He shook his head and opened his eyes. Before he spoke, Janet explained.

"Your head wasn't bathed."

Littlefoot was about to look angrily at her when he just smiled. Janet thought he was enjoying it. She didn't even noticed Littlefoot's tail creating a wave towards her back. The top half of her body was soaked. Her jaw dropped a little before it went back up and her eyes glared at Littlefoot.

"Two can play this game, Littlefoot."

Janet lowered her head as though she was going to take a mouthful of water. Littlefoot was expecting her to spit water at her. Janet used her head much the same way Littlefoot used his tail to splash Littlefoot. The water spread across Littlefoot's lower portion of his neck. He smiled mischievously as Janet lifted her head up.

"Now, it's a battle."

Littlefoot and Janet continued their water fight with each other.

* * *

><p>Rhett and Ali were approaching the river in the forest. Rhett had found this spot two days ago and was now going to show Ali.<p>

"I think you'll like it," Rhett said. "It's very private."

"As long as I get a bath in peace, it's fine."

The two longnecks walked through the gathering of trees and made it to the river. Both of them stood in shock and horror as they saw two longnecks in the water. It was fine that they were in the water, but what they were doing was… The water war between Janet and Littlefoot had escalated to where Littlefoot's front chest was on Janet's back.

"Littlefoot, not so hard."

"If you're going to play rough, I'm going to play rough."

Rhett and Ali dropped their jaws as thoughts to what was happening entered their mind. Janet laughed a little and looked back towards Littlefoot. Her smiling expression stopped as she saw two other longnecks near the water's edge.

"Um, Littlefoot. I think we have company."

Before Littlefoot had a chance to turn around, Rhett managed to find his words.

"Wow, Littlefoot. Couldn't you wait until mating season? It's only a few of bright circles away."

Littlefoot's cheeks filled with red as Janet's cheeks did the same. Littlefoot awkwardly got off of Janet and faced the stern-faced Rhett and the tomato-faced Ali.

"Listen. It's not what you think? Janet and I were just playing splasher."

"More like humper."

Littlefoot's blush deepened. Janet was too embarrassed to be in the water with Littlefoot so she walked out onto the grassy riverbank. She faced Rhett and Ali.

"Littlefoot and I were just playing a splashing game. It's too long to tell you how it got started. Littlefoot was on top of me to keep me from using my tail to wet him. I know our position was…erotic, but I assure you it was a game."

"Well, if it's a game, I would love to play too."

The three other longnecks continued to blush, even redder than before. Littlefoot's blush was the first to fade away when he began talking to Rhett.

"So, Rhett, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, me? I'm just showing Ali this spot."

Littlefoot walked out of the river and stood next to Janet.

"I bet the water is refreshing," commented Ali, as her blush also faded away.

"It is," said Janet. "I feel like lying in it all day. That long walk over here dried me up lie if I had been lying over a fire pit for a few days."

Ali smiled.

"Janet, would you care to join me?" offered Ali.

"I would love to. It would be nice to hang out with another female."

"I know. It would be nice."

As the females were too busy talking, Rhett walked up to Littlefoot and whispered at him.

"Hey, we get to see the females bathe."

"It's not like they're covering anything up, Rhett."

"But we get to see female-on-female action."

Littlefoot thought about it and smiled.

"True."

Ali and Janet faced the males.

"Um, do you guys mind?" asked Janet, trying to be polite. "It's time for us two to have some girl time."

"Yeah," agreed Ali.

"Okay," said Rhett smoothly. "C'mon, Littlefoot."

Littlefoot nodded, and he and Rhett started walking away. Janet looked at them and called out to the sweetly.

"Oh, and Littlefoot? If you plan on spying us, then…well, it's going to be very painful having your most precious 'thing' smacked the next morning as a wake-up nudge."

"And that's for both of us," said Ali.

Littlefoot and Rhett looked at each other with a serious, but worried, face.

"Uh, Rhett? I-I think we shouldn't do the…you know…the whole seeing thing."

"Um... I agree."

Littlefoot and Rhett left that section of the woods as Ali and Janet proceeded getting into the water.


	9. Couples

Some time had passed since Ali and Janet shooed the boys away. The sun was now descending, but the day was as active as a six-year-old dog. Janet took a bit off the nearby tree. In fact, it was the same one she and Littlefoot shared for breakfast. She grinded the treestars in her mouth and swallowed them. She then faced the relaxing Ali.

"Ali?"

"What is it, Janet?" wondered Ali in a tender voice.

"Well…um…you told me about Littlefoot. What do you think?"

"A-about what?" Ali asked, getting the feeling where this was going.

Ali had mentioned to Janet that she met Littlefoot when they were babies.

"Well, I've been thinking. I see you with Rhett, and you seem happy with him."

"With Rhett?" Ali wondered and then faintly blushed when she realized what Janet met. "Oh, we're not going out."

Janet was a bit confused by this.

"Not going out? Oh, wow. I'm sorry. It's just that you two seem close."

"Rhett and I are just good friends. That's all. We've grown custom to each other. We were together for the most part when we travel with our herd. I always view him as a big brother. Nothing more."

"Okay."

"What does this have to do with Littlefoot?"

Janet slightly blushed.

"Well, I've been thinking. Littlefoot told me that Chris told him that mating season is only a few bright circles away… He has been kind and caring towards me, and I believe we can face life together."

"But Janet, aren't you…rushing?"

"Mating season is only a few bright circles away. I can't wait. Besides, he's…the only one I got."

"But that doesn't mean you should rush things. There're more longnecks than him."

Janet widened her right eye in curiosity.

"Ali, you sound like if you wanted Littlefoot to be your partner?"

Ali tried so hard not to blush and kept her face straight.

"Me? I-I haven't even seen him for a couple of Cold Times. I don't know how much he has changed. I…would probably pick someone else than him."

"I see," said Janet.

Janet decided not to dive into details about the topic at hand. She knew one thing though: only her opinion mattered.

* * *

><p>Littlefoot and Rhett continued to walk across the valley. They were in a large clearing that was located at the west side of the valley. The large, grassy clearing was surrounded by thick trees. He couldn't even see clearly through the woods. Rhett stopped and looked back. Littlefoot was to the front left of Rhett. Littlefoot stopped and turned around to face him.<p>

"Rhett?"

"This place? …Could it be the mating grounds?"

Littlefoot looked around, examining the details of the area. After thirty seconds, he looked back at Rhett.

"Could be. Chris mentioned it was a rather large area. Why does that matter?"

"…Well, I mean it will be time soon. I wonder if I am confident to move forward."

"To move forward from what?"

"My relationship with Ali."

Littlefoot stiffened, allowing the goose bumps to flow down his spine.

"Your relationship…with Ali," he managed to say without squeaking his voice too much.

"Yep. I think it's getting real serious, so I think I'll make my move during the first night of mating season."

Littlefoot had a mix of a troubled look and a confused look on his face.

"Um, Rhett? I'm no expert on this, but aren't you supposed to make a move during the first night. You know, so no one can interfere."

"What do you mean?"

"You make the move the first night."

"Not that. Interfere. What does that mean?"

"You know…"

Littlefoot paused for a moment to let Rhett think about it. He still had that blank face. Littlefoot sighed unnoticeably.

"So no one will get in your way between you and Ali."

"Oh, that. Everyone here knows that we've been together for the longest time. No one will, um, in-ter-fere."

"… So, how long have you and Ali been together?"

"Ever since we got here. Yep. I remember that night when I confessed to her that I had like her and discovered she liked me back. Ah, memories."

"Sounds…good."

Rhett smiled.

"So, Littlefoot. How is your future mate?"

"Future mate?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I'm talking about Janet."

"Janet? Rhett, I just barely met her."

"Yeah, but it seems you two were already together before you met each other. I mean, we caught you humping her."

"I wasn't humping her," the reddened-face Littlefoot defended. "We were just playing Splasher."

"Whatever, Littlefoot. What I saw was all the proof I needed to see. You can be a kid and deny it, or you can be an adult and shoot it to the world. You're doing good, Littlefoot. Let's keep it male-to-male: Janet is one pretty dinosaur."

There was no denial. To Littlefoot as well, Janet was pretty. No. She was beautiful. When they were talking to Chris and Grace when they first arrived to the valley, he caught a glimpse of some of the longneck males looking at Janet with drooling expressions. Even when they passed by some longnecks, he swore he heard someone whisper 'I would like to bounce that cutie'. Luckily, Janet didn't hear it, or maybe she did? If she did, then she just ignored it. Littlefoot formed a smile at Rhett.

"Yeah, but-"

"C'mon, Littlefoot. You're acting like a baby. Be a male and when time comes, confess. I did it with Ali. You know you like Janet."

But Ali…

Rhett looked up at the sky and then directed his attention towards Littlefoot.

"I'm pretty sure the girls are done," said Rhett. "Let's go with them."

Rhett turned around and started retracing his footsteps. Littlefoot watched him and sighed. Ali was with Rhett, and the way Rhett described it and how they were walking together sounded like Ali was yearning for Rhett. He set out on a journey to find a mate and settled down. Come mating season, he was going to still find one, even if it wasn't his childhood love interest…and current love interest.

* * *

><p>Night had approached. Rhett and Ali had said their goodbyes for the night and retreated to their sleeping spot. Littlefoot and Janet remained in the same sleeping spot they slept last night. It was an easy access of food and water when morning came. Littlefoot yawned and walked over to a nearby tree. The grassy ground was as comfy as a pillow to him. He lied down to go to sleep.<p>

His head still hadn't touched the ground, watching Janet as she took a sip from the river. She lifted her head and turned towards Littlefoot. She took a few steps towards him. He smiled at her when he noticed she was looking at him.

"Well, goodnight Janet."

Janet slightly smiled.

"Goodnight."

Littlefoot lowered his head down to the ground and closed his eyes. Janet just observed him for a few moments before lying down next to him. She still had her neck from off the ground, looking down at Littlefoot.

"Littlefoot? Littlefoot, I need to talk to you."

Littlefoot opened his eyes and saw the worried expression Janet showed from the ground. He lifted his head up to her head level and faced her.

"What is it, Janet?"

Janet slightly looked down at the ground from the corner of her eyes. She then moved her pupils to look straight at Littlefoot.

"What do you think of me?"

Littlefoot was stunned on why she asked that. He smirked.

"Janet, you are you. I mean we do have arguments, but nothing can separate our friendship."

"But what do you think of just me?"

"Why do you ask that?"

Littlefoot paused for a moment to think.

"Are you nervous about the upcoming mating season?"

"Yes," Janet half-lied.

"Well, you are fun to be around with. Even though we argue, I have always enjoyed our friendship. You are caring, kind at times, strong…and very pretty."

Littlefoot had blushed when he mentioned Janet was pretty. Her cheeks reddened.

"Oh…well, Littlefoot. Since I heard the truth from you about me, let me say something. The first time we met, I thought I was better off on my own. All the arguing and stuff, but now, I think differently of you…in a good way. You're smart, concerning, nice, and also handsome… Littlefoot...I'll be honest. I've been thinking a lot, and I believe we can become more than friends."

Littlefoot's blush returned.

"W-why do you say that?"

Janet moved her head closer to Littlefoot. Their faces were only a few centimeters away. Janet smiled.

"I think this would explain what I'm trying to say."

She pressed her mouth against Littlefoot's mouth and exchanged a kiss. The kiss seemed to last for a long time. At first, Littlefoot was too stunned to move. He thought about getting away, but something told him to accept it. During the time spent with Janet, he grown to her and liked her a lot. He didn't tell her because of Ali. But Ali had gone to Rhett. She seemed happy, and as Rhett said, they were happy. Littlefoot was not going to be in-between them if she was happy. He savored the kiss from Janet. Now, he was with Janet…his future mate.


	10. Complications

Janet finally woke after a long sleep. The rays of the sun bathed her scales in ultraviolet light waves. She lifted her neck, smiling. She looked from side to side and saw that Littlefoot had gone somewhere. She got to her feet and looked around. All she saw were trees, bushes, a grassy ground, and a river of flowing water.

"That's odd," she whispered to herself. "Where did he go?"

She walked to the river and lowered her neck to get some water. After taking three gulps, she picked up her head and looked at her reflection in the water. She sighed.

"At least, I got that off my chest," she whispered at her reflection. "It felt…a little wrong though. I mean I felt that he wasn't enjoying it as much as I was. I probably caught him by surprise."

She looked around the area from where she stood. She couldn't find him anywhere. Janet guessed he was just walking around the village. Maybe if she did the same thing, she would eventually bonk into him. She turned her tail towards the river and started walking out of the thick forest.

Janet walked out of the trees and into the grassy plains. She saw that the residents were spread out, each doing their own thing. She couldn't see Littlefoot anywhere. Maybe Littlefoot just needed some alone time.

"Why does it he need some alone time?" Janet asked herself. "Was I too fast? I hope I wasn't, but I can't feel that I was."

She was too distracted by her own whispers to hear footsteps approaching her.

"Janet?"

She turned to her right and saw Ali only a couple of feet away from her. She smiled.

"Hi, Ali."

"Um, who were you talking to, Janet?"

Janet's smile shrunk.

"Well, I… Have you seen Littlefoot?"

"Littlefoot? Not today. No."

Janet groaned. Curious, Ali asked.

"Why? Did something happen?"

"…Can you keep a secret, Ali?"

Ali nodded.

"Like really."

Ali nodded again.

"I mean, you swear."

"Janet, just tell me," answered a somewhat annoyed Ali.

"Okay, okay," she said. She deeply exhaled to relax and replied, "I kissed Littlefoot."

Ali just looked at Janet, not sure if she should really emote what she felt.

"…You kissed him? W-when did that happen?"

"Yesterday night," answered Janet. "We were both talking…and then I kissed him."

She kissed him? At least, it wasn't the other way around.

"But Janet, I told you it was too soon."

"I know, I know, but I just needed to know if he liked me back. It turned out he did. But what kind of dinosaur said he likes you and disappears the next day?"

"Calm down, Janet. We can look for him."

Janet relaxed a bit.

"Yeah," she breathed. "Okay."

"Now, where do you think he went?"

"Ali, if I knew that, I would've found him by now," replied Janet dully.

"Right," replied a secretly irritated Ali. "Mmm… The valley's pretty big. Where should we start?"

"If it's big, I think we should split up. That way, we cover more ground."

Ali nodded.

"Okay, I'll check on that side," said Ali, referring to the west of the valley.

"Then I got this side," said Janet, meaning the east of the valley.

The two longnecks split ways in opposite directions to find Littlefoot.

* * *

><p>Rhett yawned after he barely opened his eyes. He looked around from where he lied. As usual, Ali was gone. She was always an early riser, or he was just a late snoozer. He stretched out his neck and got to his feet. He yawned again and looked to his right. Trees had covered him from the nearby open plains that were the main community of the valley. He and Ali had selected a clearing in the beginning of the woods. The nearest body of water was a river that was about thirteen meters away from their sleeping spot due north. It wasn't as deep or as wide as the one Littlefoot and Janet slept next to, but it was still a good source of water. He started making his way through the tall trees to the river.<p>

Dang, he thought, I overslept…again. Probably I need a thing that wakes you up, but it has to be annoying with an awful sound or glow and something you wish you can just toss away because it's so annoying. It can be called the annoying wake-upper, or something like that. Oh, well. For the meantime, I need to remind myself to tell Ali to wake me up.

Rhett had made it to the river. The river was behind some trees, but it went through the grassy plains a few meters to the left where Rhett stood. He lowered his head and started to drink. He didn't go long before hearing footsteps. He lifted his head and looked to his left. Janet was walking towards him. He smiled.

"Good morning, Janet."

Janet formed a small smile.

"Oh, Rhett. It's good to see you."

"Good as in good, or good as in great?"

Janet was confused and a little crept out by what Rhett had said.

"Good as in good," Janet replied with an unsure voice.

"Good."

Janet just stared at him blankly for about a few seconds before she remembered what she was doing.

"Yeah, um… Rhett, have you seen Littlefoot?"

"Can't say that I have. I just barely woke up. Why?"

"Well, when I woke up, he was gone."

"Maybe he just needs some space. You know, some me-time."

Janet's eyes widened. That thought never occurred to her. Still, Littlefoot needed to be found.

"But I need to find him, Rhett."

"Relax, Janet. I'm sure it's nothing. It's not like…you kissed him, and he's confused or regretting it."

"Well…," began Janet with a semi-nervous expression, "about that…"

Rhett looked at her curiously, knowing the answer.

"You kissed him, didn't you?"

A little shame was shown in her eyes.

"Just help me, Rhett," she said, changing the subject of her relationship with Littlefoot.

"Alright. Do you know the valley pretty well?"

"Not really."

"Well, let's check if he's near your sleeping spot by now. If not, I guess we can check towards the west side of the valley."

"Oh, Ali is checking there. I ran into her, and she offered to help."

"Alright. Then Ali's got that place, and we got your sleeping spot. Lead the way."

Janet started to walk back to her sleeping spot. Rhett followed closely behind, walking beside her left side.

* * *

><p>Ali arrived to the west side of the valley. Basically, she was in the mating grounds. She looked around the large, green and tannish clearing that was surrounded by a thick forest of trees. She took a few steps forward and looked around from where she stood. She looked around and noticed something in the distance. It was up in the sky, heading away from the valley. She figured it out to be just a flyer. She looked back down towards the woods.<p>

"Mmm… I guess he's not here."

Ali turned around and started walking back.

"Ali?"

Ali stopped and turned around. Littlefoot was walking out of a section of the forest. He made his way towards her as she waited patiently. She smiled at him as he only stood a few feet in front of her now.

"Oh, hey Littlefoot."

Littlefoot slightly smiled.

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. What are you doing here? Janet is looking for you."

Littlefoot groaned.

"I knew I should've just stayed there and waited until she woke up."

Ali looked around, not really sure where she was.

"I've really never been to this part of the valley before. It's kind of hidden."

"I think these are the mating grounds," said Littlefoot, looking around.

Ali blushed at Littlefoot's answer.

"Oh, wow. I've never been here before."

Littlefoot turned his attention towards Ali.

"The start of the mating season," commented Littlefoot. "When is it?"

"Tomorrow."

Littlefoot turned around from Ali.

"Shoot," he mumbled. "I'll never make it in time."

Ali looked at him curiously.

"What was that?"

He turned his attention towards Ali.

"Oh, nothing."

"Nothing? C'mon, Littlefoot. Tell me."

"It's kind of private, Ali."

"Oh," replied a disappointed Ali, "I see."

"So...with it being tomorrow, are you ready?"

"Ready for tomorrow?" she wondered bashfully. "I…I'm not sure. I think no one is, but we'll do it anyways."

"True," replied Littlefoot. "Hopefully, your relationship with Rhett goes to the next level."

Ali stared in bewilderment at Littlefoot.

"The next level? What are-"

"Ali! Littlefoot!"

The two longnecks turned their attention towards the entrance to the clearing; a wide clearing in a shape of a straight road with trees and valley walls lining up beside it on the left and right side. Rhett and Janet were walking along this soft-grounded path. Littlefoot smiled and started walking towards them. Ali stood still and watched him, thinking on what he meant by her relationship with Rhett. She decided to ask Rhett later and joined the others. Janet looked up at Littlefoot with relief in her eyes.

"Oh, here you are, Littlefoot."

"Sorry I didn't tell you, Janet. You were still sleeping."

"You could've woken me up."

"Remember what happened last time? It ended up looking like I was humping you in the river."

Janet blushed.

"Oh, yeah."

"I don't know about you guys, but I am hungry," said Rhett. "Let's go to the clearing and eat."

"Alright, sure," said Littlefoot.

Rhett, being the hungriest, lead the way. Littlefoot and Janet walked side-by-side as Ali followed behind them.

* * *

><p>Night had approached. The moon was high above the starry night, providing some llight to the ground below. The residents of Green Valley had all retired to their sleeping spots to call it a night. The trees provided shade as the leaves swayed in the direction of the light wind. Rhett and Ali had returned to the sleeping spot they slept in the night before. Rhett had lied down and rested his head on the ground. Ali was also on her belly, but she kept her head up high, looking at the crescent moon. Rhett was about to close her eyes when he heard Ali's voice.<p>

"Rhett," she said and then turned her head towards Rhett. "What did you tell Littlefoot?"

Rhett lifted his head and faced Ali at eye-level.

"What about?" he asked, somewhat knowing what she meant.

"Our supposed relationship."

"Oh…that…um…we were…sort of…seeing each other."

"So you lied."

"C'mon, Ali. You've known this, and yet you're by my side."

"As a friend. I told you long before that I didn't want to take our friendship to something more. I just…don't feel the same. That's the honest truth."

"But Ali, the signs are obvious. Don't be in denial."

Ali narrowed her eyes.

"I'm in denial? Rhett, you've been on me, and I've been telling you that I've been waiting for someone else."

"What if he's out of reach? I assume he is. I may be a little stupid, but I'm not naïve. Let me guess: you've been waiting for Littlefoot."

Ali's eyes softened. Rhett somewhat narrowed his eyes.

"You've been waiting for him all this time, but Ali, open your eyes. It seems he found someone."

Ali turned away from Rhett. Rhett shrugged it off and lowered his head to get some rest. Ali looked up at the bright moon and blinked. A tear rolled down her face and fell to the ground. She looked down at Rhett and sighed. She got up and started walking off. Tonight, he would sleep alone.

* * *

><p>A pair of longnecks were resting in their sleeping spot next to the deep river in the woods. Littlefoot looked from the sky down at Janet. She had lowered her neck, but she still had her eyes open. Littlefoot was deciding on whether or not to tell her. Well, after today's events, he should tell her on what happened. He sighed.<p>

"Janet. Are you awake?"

"Pretty much," replied Janet, without lifting her neck up.

She lifted her head and faced Littlefoot.

"So what's on your mind?" asked Janet.

"Well, I need to tell you something. It has to do with the mating season."

Janet's eyes widened happily. She lifted her head up and faced Littlefoot.

"I won't be here," finished Littlefoot.

Janet's excitement dropped.

"What do you mean you won't be here?"

"Something came up. I need to go back."

"Back where?"

"The Great Valley."

"… But Littlefoot, why?"

"Well, it's kind of personal."

"Kind of personal? But Littlefoot, we are a couple. You can tell me."

"Well, alright. Petrie didn't go too far in depth, but my friends need my help."

"Wait, what? Who is Petrie?"

"A flyer I'm friends with. He said it was urgent."

"Um, okay? But Littlefoot, mating season starts tomorrow. Can't it wait?"

"Not really. Besides, what does mating season have to do with this?"

Janet was applauded that Littlefoot didn't get her context of words. She would try again.

"Think about it Littlefoot. Mating season is tomorrow, and we are a couple."

"We are a couple, and mating season is tomorrow. What does it have to do with me going back?"

"Dammit, Littlefoot," she replied hastily and then relaxed her voice. "I want your baby."

Littlefoot stared back at the now blushing Janet. He formed a small blush.

"Oh…um…aren't you rushing all this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I only met you a few bright circles ago."

"So? Does it matter when you're in love?"

Janet hoped to hear something from Littlefoot, but nothing came out of his mouth. She narrowed her eyes.

"You don't love me?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it love. It's more like like-like."

There was a moment of silence of just Janet staring at Littlefoot coldly. He nervously continued.

"W-well, to be honest, I do like you, but I can't escape from the first dinosaur who I've liked for a long time."

"Are you freaking kidding me? You're indecisive?"

"I have feelings for you, but I also have feeling for her. Please try to understand, Janet."

"Oh, I understand clearly. I can help you too... Go."

"But Janet-"

A tear ran down her cheek.

"Get out of here, Littlefoot! I-I can't look at you. Just leave me alone!"

Janet lowered her neck to the ground and looked away from Littlefoot. Littlefoot looked at her and figured it was best to leave her alone. A light shower of tears rolled down Janet's face as she heard footsteps slowly fading away.

* * *

><p>AN: I usually don't write notes, but in order to write the next chapter, I need your input in the poll I set up in my profile page: Janet vs. Ali. Vote on who, and read who wins. I will keep it up for one more week until I close it, and surprise to some, it is tied for now. Determine a winner. Thank you.


	11. Mating Night

The early afternoon sun shimmered down its rays of light across Green Valley. The clear sky showed that tonight was going to be a promising night. The wind had been mild all day, providing the perfect livable temperature; not too hot or not too cold. The residents of the valley enjoyed another day in their life. They were eating, relaxing, walking, or playing, but all the adults had one thing in mind: mating night. Tonight was the night that could change bachelors and bachelorettes into together-forever couples, mates.

A purplish pink longneck looked down at her reflection in the calm river. She was hidden from other longnecks. The thick woods provided the privacy she needed. She was in the part of the forest she caught Littlefoot 'on top of' Janet in the river. She had come to see if Littlefoot or Janet was here. When she saw the place deserted, she asked herself why she had come here in the first place. Looking down at her reflection made her mad, yet sad.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a hushed voice at her reflection. "What do you hope to accomplish? To get him? Rhett's right. He…found someone else."

Ali sighed, lowering her head down more.

"Probably tonight, he'll make his move, and then they'll live happily ever after…when I'm alone."

A tear rolled down her left cheek and dropped into the water below her. She looked at her saddened eyes in the water's reflection. She sniffled slightly and blinked a couple of times to clear her eyes from the tears. She lifted her head up and looked up at the sky.

"Why?" she mumbled and then found herself mumbling in frustration. "Why, why, why? What does she have that I don't? What makes her so special to you, Littlefoot?"

She deeply sighed and relaxed. She dropped her head to its original position.

"It's wrong for me to get mad. I should support him in his decision as a true friend. If…he loves her, then I won't intervene. He seems happy with her. That's what I want for him: to be happy."

She sighed.

Though it pains me to say this, but I…must move on.

With that final thought, Ali left the area to get some lunch and to spot a potential mate. It took her only a few minutes to reach the clearing where the majority of longnecks were. It was like the center of the community. Ali walked across the opened fields of grass, looking left to right. She was trying to find a tree to munch off its leaves.

"Ali?"

Ali turned her head from her left side and looked forward. Chris and Grace were standing in front of her. Grace was the one that addressed her. She knew Ali quite well. During the first weeks after her arrival, Ali would seek Grace for guidance or just to hang out as friends. Grace noticed that something was wrong.

"Ali, is something troubling you?"

She knew Ali well. She could quickly tell if a longneck was having a bad day by just its posture. Ali sighed. There was no point from hiding it from Grace.

"You can say that again. It's just…complicated."

"Let me guess…boyfriend troubles."

"With Rhett?" wondered Chris. "But your relationship with him seems strong."

Before Ali answered, Grace spoke.

"Not him, Dear."

Both longnecks were shocked, especially Ali, and looked at Grace curiously. She smiled.

"I've been through the same thing, dear. In fact, it was with Chris."

She then faced Chris.

"Chris, do you remember what happened when we first met?"

Chris faced away from his mate to think. When he came up with the answer, he faced Grace.

"I believe so. Let's see… I was with that female at the time. We were part of a migrating herd. We then found you wandering by yourself, and our leader allowed you to travel with us. You walked pass me, smiling."

Chris smiled.

"It's funny how one, tiny smile could change everything," continued Chris.

"But weren't you with that female?" questioned Ali.

Chris faced Ali.

"I was. Well…kind of. See, we were good friends. I had never really gone out with her."

Grace shook her head.

"Yes, you did, Dear. You told me about it. She rejected you."

Chris paused to think. He chuckled.

"I guess you're right. However, when I started to spend time with Grace, that female soon asked me if we should deepen our relationship. I…said yes."

"… How long did you go out with her?" asked Ali.

"It was quite a bit," admitted Chris, "but I wasn't that happy with her. My relationship with Grace grew stronger. It wasn't until a few bright circles before mating season that I found out that my female was seeing another longneck. See, our herd had stopped at a valley before mating season. My female had quickly fallen in love with another male that was a resident of the valley. I don't know how, but life has a mysterious way of working. Depressed, I hid myself from the herd. It was the day after the first day of the mating season that Grace found me. She comforted me after I explained what had happened. She confessed that she was at mating night and saw my female with another. She also told me that she was quite relieved. I faced her and asked why in an angry tone. With no fear in her eye, she told me that she had been looking for me the whole night. I softened my expression, and we had a long talk. That day with Grace turned into forever."

Grace smiled at her mate and then faced Ali.

"Every life has its ups and downs," started Grace, "but we can only look forward."

Ali thought about it and nodded.

"So…um…have you seen Littlefoot?"

"Littlefoot?" repeated Chris. "Nope. Usually he's here with Janet, but I haven't seen him…neither of them."

Ali began to worry a bit, but she didn't show it. She just smiled and nodded.

"Thank you."

Ali walked by them. Grace glanced back and looked at Chris.

"She reminds me of myself."

Chris slightly smiled.

"Well, let's just hope she finds that boy."

The two elders continued their stroll through the valley.

* * *

><p>Night had arrived to Green Valley. The kids and their parents were all calling it a night and drifting off into slumber land. The oldest couple still up was Grace and Chris. They were in the west side of the valley where there was a large clearing surrounded by thick woods. In front of them were the single males. Chris smiled.<p>

"We have a lot of fine males out tonight. This…marks the night where most of you turn into adults. This night will be a special night and hopefully one you can remember. Now, we should get on with it. Grace, if you may began."

Grace smiled. She looked towards the starry, clear night. She sung out in a dinosaur growl. As the sound echoed through the air and died down, the female longnecks walked out of the woods in a form of a thin annulus. The males looked around, looking at the smiling females around them. The females soon stopped before merging with the males. Grace lowly growled in sound again. Everyone faced Grace and Chris. Chris smiled.

"Well, I have nothing more to say. Enjoy yourselves and have a good night."

He faced Grace.

"C'mon Dear."

Chris and Grace started to walk off. As they walked, Grace noticed Janet to her right on the outer part of the annulus. Janet noticed Grace had glanced at her. Grace looked forward as she noticed Janet was looking back at her. Janet then turned around and faced back towards the males. She noticed that the two groups were merging. A military greenish male longneck with hazel eyes walked up to her. He was about a foot taller than her. He smirked at her. She smiled back.

"Why, hello…"

"Janet."

"Oh, nice. My name is Drew."

"Oh. Well, it's nice to meet you Drew. Um, so Drew. How did you get to Green Valley?"

"Well, I got here as a kid. My parents-"

"Janet?"

Janet and Chris looked towards the position of the little hand on 4:00. Ali walked up to Janet, startled at what she was doing.

"Janet, what are you doing?"

"What do you mean, Ali?"

Ali looked at Drew and slightly smiled.

"Um, can you excuse us for a bit?"

"No problem. You know I can always handle two."

Ali's smile dropped a little.

"I don't think so. Uh…can you just leave us for now?"

Drew nodded and walked away. Janet watched as Drew left. She faced Ali with an annoyed face.

"Why did you do that, Ali?"

"Janet, what about Littlefoot? You're cheating on him!"

"It's not cheating if you're not with that someone."

Ali's face softened.

"… Wait, what? What did you say?"

"He and I are done."

Ali was surprised at this. To her, their relationship was going strong. She blinked once and then began to speak.

"You…broke up? But why?"

"He thought his friends were more important than me."

Ali half-closed her eyes.

"Seriously? You broke up because of that?"

"Ali, I'm an adult female. I'm ready to have kids. Littlefoot could've waited, but he viewed our relationship as second."

"But he was doing the right thing."

"I know, but what is one bright circle?"

"It could mean everything!"

There was a moment of pause as Ali calmed down.

"Where is he now?"

"I have no idea. He left after the fight we had last night."

"So, you have no idea?"

"That's what I said."

"Don't be a stuck-up female."

"Stuck-up? Ha! You're the broad dinosaur here. You wanted Littlefoot, even when you knew that we were dating and you were with Rhett. I knew, Ali. You're horrible at keeping secrets."

"With Rhett? I told you. I was never with Rhett. Dammit, tell me where's Littlefoot!"

"I told you: he left. Last night was the last time I saw him. I don't know where he went. Now, if you excuse me, I need to find a mate."

Janet turned around and started walking the direction Drew went. Ali watched her as she left. She huffed.

"What a wench."

She looked up at the sky and sighed.

"Oh, where is he?"

Ali looked at one spot in the clear sky and stared at it. A flashback came to her. She remembered that a flyer was at a distance, flying away from the valley. In fact, why would a flyer be here in the first place? As long as she stayed here, she had never seen a flyer flying over the skies of Green Valley. Besides, flyers from the Mysterious Beyond didn't really associate with any of the longnecks in the valley…unless it wasn't from the Mysterious Beyond. What if the flyer was from somewhere else? What if…it came here in search for Littlefoot? Littlefoot was in the same area where the flyer was, and the flyer was gaining altitude, as if it had just taken off. She remembered that Littlefoot had a friend that was a flyer, and that flyer was friends with her. His name was Petrie. Ali formed a small grin.

"I know where he went."

Ali left the crowd of horny longnecks and walked out of the area. She walked through the clearing, slowly jogging across the grassy fields. She saw the entrance of the valley in view and hurriedly rushed out of the valley. She needed to be with Littlefoot.

* * *

><p>This place…where Rooter lies dead…it gives me the creeps knowing he's dead in this dying forest, but I must rest for the night.<p>

Littlefoot was in the forest of dying plants. He wasn't in the clearing where probably the bones of Rooter were, but he was close. Dead trees surrounded him, almost covering him up from all sides. He had lied down and looked up high at the starry night. He sighed.

"I hope I arrive there in time," he breathed.

He lowered his head to the cold, cracked ground and went to sleep.


	12. Catching Up

Ali pressed onward. The morning sun reflected off the earth. The fragmented ground was old and showed death. The dying trees didn't serve as a cheerful scenery. Ali had made it to the forest of dead trees Littlefoot had rested in the previous night. In fact, she was looking down at the spot where Littlefoot had been sleeping on. She knew because of the small depth in a ground, like a body print. It could've been another dinosaur, but she convinced herself it was him.

"Littlefoot was here," she breathed. "Hopefully, I'm not that far from him."

She yawned. She shook her head and blinked several times. She had not really gotten any rest. The night was spent on trying to catch up with Littlefoot. It didn't really go as planned, but she knew she was closer. She looked southward.

"I'm pretty sure he went to the Great Valley," she breathed. "It's that way, so I better get moving."

She walked through the dead forest and made it to the clearing. The forest clearing barely clung to life. A couple of green patches decorated the clearing in the middle of the forest. Ali quickly noticed the complete skeleton. She approached it, not really sure if it was a clubtail. It looked like one, but something was different about it. She approached it. The wind soon picked up.

"It feels…warm," commented Ali to herself.

She smiled and looked down at the old bones.

"I-I didn't know who you were, but I'm pretty sure you did something important."

She smiled again, but she slowly dropped it.

"Is it weird to talk to a skeleton?" she asked herself. "Or talk to yourself?"

She focused on the skeleton again and warmly smiled.

"No. I hope you didn't go alone."

Ali lifted her head and looked southward. She had better get going before Littlefoot was too far out of reach. She started walking. After taking a few steps away, the wind started to pick up. Ali stopped in surprise and looked back at the skeleton. The wind had died. She heard nothing more and faced forward.

Strange. I thought I heard someone talking. Someone saying I helped Littlefoot.

She shrugged it off and continued her walk through the forest of dead trees.

* * *

><p>Littlefoot continued to walk across the deserted wasteland. The dry soil of the land heated his feet. The sun beamed down its heat rays. From morning to the afternoon, it had gotten damn hot. Littlefoot stuck out his tongue and panted like a dog trying to stay cool.<p>

"This heat… It shouldn't get to me, but it's so hot."

He looked around for any signs of water. It was pointless. Water had been sucked dry from this forbidden place. As it seemed, this barren land supported no life. Littlefoot knew he had to find water soon.

Littlefoot looked around the area for any sign of water. After walking for only a couple of hours, he was desperate. With no water, there was no life. With no life, there was no food. Littlefoot's stomach growled. He stopped and sighed.

"I need food."

He looked around and saw some dead plants, ranging from a few bush skeletons to two leafless trees. He walked up to one of the bushes and noticed that a few bush branches had fallen to the ground. He remembered as a child, he was forced to eat twigs from time to time. He wasn't sure how he survived on twigs, but he did. He lowered his neck to the ground and picked up a few twigs. He grinded them the best he could and swallowed them. Fortunately, these twigs were tasteless. He remembered that some twigs he had were either tasteless, which were the good kind, or had a horrible taste which came with the smell from them. The smelling would range from sulfur to dinosaur droppings. Once again, how he survived as a child by eating twigs was beyond him.

After having his snack of twigs, he continued to walk in determination. He had to reach the Great Valley. Petrie really didn't explain much, but it was urgent matter of business. Though he vowed to never return, he couldn't abandon all his friends and the residents. His grandparents raised him to be helpful. Going against their teachings would be fatuous. It was sometimes necessary, but going against friends was something he shouldn't do.

He looked out far from where he was. It was probably the heat getting to him, but he saw a heat-fuzzy image of a dinosaur. He picked up his pace. The image thought to be an illusion became the real thing. An adult, grey Iguanodon lied on the hot, cracked ground. Littlefoot approached the dinosaur. To his surprise, it was barely breathing. The condition it was in was the condition Littlefoot feared. Its scales were very dry, similarly compared when skin turned pale. It rested on its side, panting for breath. Littlefoot confronted it.

"Hello?"

The Iguanodon slowly turned his head to face Littlefoot.

"Hi," it barely said.

"What are you doing out here?"

"… Looking for…*cough*…water."

"Um, did you come from the Great Valley? Are you a resident there?"

"I…did come from…but I…no resident… *cough* I've been traveling…find home...at Great Valley…but it's dry…dinosaurs argue over what's left…angry threehorn…*cough*…kicked me out."

"Angry threehorn? Mr. Threehorn?"

"*Cough, cough*… Grey threehorn."

Littlefoot sighed.

"Can you explain what happened at the Great Valley?"

The Iguanodon closed his eyes and didn't respond. The rising and falling in his chest stopped. Littlefoot bowed his head in respect and lifted his head up. He looked forward, thinking what could've happened. Something serious must've happened if the residents were all in flames. Then again, the angry could've been spearheaded by Mr. Threehorn. The Iguanodon mentioned the valley to be dry and limited on resources. Most likely, it could have been meaning the depletion of water throughout the Great Valley. If that was case, it could be like the time the water was backed up by a wall of piled rocks due to an earthquake. More determined to help the crisis of the Great Valley, he pressed onward.

* * *

><p>Night soon fell for the female longneck. Ali had walked in trying to catch up with Littlefoot. She made much progress. If her body was able to, she would continue throughout the night, but she knew that if she pushed her body through the night, it would break. Though the spot was clear out in the open, she lied down to try to get some sleep.<p>

The area she was in was the barren wasteland she had crossed a long time ago with Rhett and the others. Dead plants scattered across this large piece of land, showing that water was nowhere to be found here. The cold ground was cracked and rigid, providing a slightly uncomfortable bed. Ali didn't care. Sleep was something she needed way more than water. She closed her eyes and went to sleep.

As Ali slept, she dreamt. She was a child in a center of a luscious valley. Green food spread throughout the valley like it was a disease. Waterways divided the valley into three equal parts, making two rivers drain into large ponds. Only a few dinosaurs stood out in particular, either relaxing, eating, or playing in the background. Petrie, Cera, Rhett, Ducky, Spike, and Janet made up the dinosaurs in the background. In front of her stood the childhood version of Littlefoot. They stood only a few feet apart, facing each other. Instantly, all evolved to their adult forms, being paired off with unnamed dinosaurs. Littlefoot still stood in front of her. They both were the only unpaired dinosaurs. Littlefoot smiled and slowly approached Ali. She waited, smiling and blushing. Littlefoot extended his head out and pressed his mouth against her mouth. Ali closed her eyes, savoring the enthralling feeling. The scene surrounding them disappeared and turned white. Ali and Littlefoot weren't concerned of this. To them, the world didn't matter. It was only them and them alone.

Ali formed a smile as she slept. She slightly swayed her head from side to side, opening her mouth in a laughing matter. She then dropped the smile, and soon the whole thing went wrong. The dream that was about peace and love turned into a dream of war and hurt. Ali's eyes closed tighter, showing some wrinkles above her eyes. She finally opened her eyes from the shaky dream. She groaned slightly and lifted her head up. The moon cast down its light that was like a flashlight in a dark cavern. Ali rose to her feet and yawned. Though it was a short nap, she had to press on. She walked off across the darkened wasteland, in hopes of being united with Littlefoot soon.


	13. Understanding

As Littlefoot neared the valley, he could only wonder what happened. Petrie wasn't very good at describing things, and his broken English made it worse. Littlefoot only got out of him was that the valley was in danger. He knew it wasn't sharpteeth, because then Petrie wouldn't have flown all the way to tell Littlefoot. Besides, he would have said that sharpteeth were ravaging the Great Valley. Plus, he was pretty sure that the Great Valley residents would've fended them off. As his father said one time, they attacked in only twos and threes.

The most Littlefoot could make out of the scarce information was the valley residents were safe out of instant harm. Plus, they were still there in the valley. This meant whatever it was hadn't driven them away from the valley yet. It was that or the fact that they were scared to venture into the Mysterious Beyond. Littlefoot quickly dismissed the idea of them being too scared to venture into the Mystery Beyond. Though some were scared, they would consider the best option and leave the Great Valley if necessary. That didn't stop them from leaving the valley during the cold time or the attack from the Locusts.

Littlefoot continued his thoughts on the topic. The sun was watching over him, bathing him with its rays of light. The area Littlefoot walked across showed some life. Some patches of grass covered the soil of the land, and tall trees provided shade for tall, thin creatures. Littlefoot stopped to ponder about the area.

"This…this place has green food. Water must be near."

Littlefoot looked around and noticed a small body of water behind some of the tall trees. He walked over to it and smiled. A river flowed throw this section of the land and gathered in one spot, creating a pond. Littlefoot walked over to the pond, the source of life of this area, and lowered his head towards it. He slurped the water, savoring the refreshing taste he longed for during his walk. After he got his share, he lifted his head up. Water dripped down his jaws. He sighed in relief.

"Gosh, was I overdue. That was some good tasting water."

He looked around.

"This place seems almost untouched. I don't remember passing this place when I was walking with Janet."

Littlefoot smiled.

"And the best part is that I see no sign of sharpteeth."

Littlefoot decided to walk along the river, hoping that it didn't diverged from the path he needed to go on to reach the Great Valley.

* * *

><p>Ali continued her walk under the blazing sun. It wasn't so much that the sun was hot, but the ground was releasing heat waves that were caused by the sun's rays hitting the Earth. She stuck out her tongue in order to cool down a bit. It did little to cool her down.<p>

"So hot," she breathed.

She continued to walk across the dead land in hopes of finding Littlefoot…alive. The last time she walked this far without water was during the days of traveling with her herd. She had become to comfortable with her life in Green Valley that she had forgotten how to survive through the hardships in the Mysterious Beyond.

With every step, it felt like a drag. Not only was she thirsty, she was tired and hungry. If she would've rested properly, she probably wouldn't have been so weak. The only thing keeping her alive was probably her determination. She would find Littlefoot. She know she would. She continued to walk across the barren wasteland, to find Littlefoot…and some water.

* * *

><p>"Where the heck is Ali?" Rhett wondered for the twentieth time.<p>

Rhett had given Ali a day to cool down before actually searching for her. It was only two days after mating night when Rhett began searching for her. Though he knew she had feelings for Littlefoot, she was still worried about her. On top of that, he hadn't seen Littlefoot ever since the day before the mating night. He looked around the valley for the second time, but at the end of this search, he came up empty. There was only one option: to talk to Janet.

He searched across the grassy plains where the major community of longnecks was. He walked across the plains for a little bit before seeing Janet. She was eating on one of the trees that touched the outline of the plains. He walked up to her. Janet sensed something approaching her with the help of the vibrations she felt underneath her feet. She turned her neck around with a mouthful of leaves in her mouth and saw Rhett approaching her. She swallowed them and smiled.

"Hi, Rhett."

"Hey. Have you seen Littlefoot or Ali around?"

She slightly narrowed her eyes.

"I can't say that I have."

Rhett's face grew worried.

"Oh, no. Are you sure?"

"Yes. The last time I saw Littlefoot was the night before mating season and Ali the night of mating season. You can't find her."

"I've been looking for her, but I can't find her."

Janet snobbishly half-closed her eyes.

"Maybe she's with Littlefoot somewhere here. If she is, she did a very good job of stealing him and is hiding with him from me."

Rhett blinked a couple of times in disbelief.

"Stole him from you? But Janet, Littlefoot wasn't even at the ceremony. I would've found him. He's very easy to find. To be honest, he's one of the finer males this valley had to offer. I have a feeling that some of the females were disappointed that they didn't see him."

Janet paused, thinking, and then spontaneously grew angry.

"Why would they be disappointed that that jerk didn't show up? They should be glad he didn't! As for Ali, she is one of the most stuck-up longnecks I've met. She lectured me on why I was wrong of yelling at Littlefoot."

"Sheesh, don't get your tail in-between your legs."

Janet calmed down a bit. She sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry. I was wrong to yell at you. I haven't learned from my past mistakes."

"Past mistakes?"

Janet looked at Rhett and started to explain.

"There was this longneck before I met Littlefoot. He and I connected. I say we were very happy with each other. My parents and my brother liked him too and accepted him as part of our family. Bright circles passed, and mating season was upon us. The night before, something terrible happened. He said he was leaving me, because he lost interest in me. He left that night after he told me. I was devastated and remained emotional disturbed for a few bright circles. I never wanted to experience anything like that. When Littlefoot told me that he was leaving, I could only remember the hurtful things I experienced when Dane left me. I didn't want to experience anything like that again. Frustrated, I yelled at him, hoping that I've learned from past mistakes. I thought angry could cover up the void of sadness I felt, but it didn't. It made me feel worse. I thought finding another potential mate was going to help me move on, but Ali came up to me and talked to me about how wrong I was. She was right. I was so caught up with my feelings that I was blind on what was right. …I'm such a horrible dinosaur."

"Janet, we all suffer through hardships, but that doesn't mean we should relive them."

"I know. I learned that the hard way. When I was talking to that cute dinosaur, I felt something very wrong. I knew my heart wasn't set for him. I had to excuse myself and decided to just go to sleep, away from the whole event. …I just want him to know that I'm sorry."

A tear rolled down Janet's right cheek.

"Well, Janet. There's still a tomorrow."

Janet looked at Rhett in disbelief. She never expected him to be so wise. She always thought of him being a little less than average. She smiled.

"Thanks, Rhett."

"Now, do you know where Littlefoot went?"

"He said he needed to go to the Great Valley."

"The Great Valley? If Littlefoot went that way, I'm sure Ali went in that direction."

"But Rhett, why are you still chasing her? Isn't it obvious she wants Littlefoot?"

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I should stop being a caring friend. The Mysterious Beyond is dangerous, and Littlefoot is probably unaware Ali is following him. It's my job to make sure she is safe. Now, if you excuse me, I need to leave."

Janet watched as Rhett started to walk across the grassy plains towards the entrance of the valley. She thought about it and called for him.

"Rhett."

Rhett stopped and looked back. Janet was jogging towards him. She stopped beside him and smiled at him.

"I'm worried too, and I shouldn't turn a blind eye towards dinosaurs I care about."

Rhett smirked, and the two set off to find their beloved friends.

* * *

><p>The sun was nearing its slumber for Littlefoot. The orange sky signaled to him it would set within the hour. Littlefoot had followed the path to the Great Valley. The river had diverged, causing Littlefoot to take one more drink from it and finally separated from it.<p>

He had walked onward for a couple of hours before the blue sky changed colors. The day neared its end. This did not stop Littlefoot. Out in the distance, he noticed valley walls resembling ones he walked from several bright circles ago. He was in range. By tomorrow, he would set foot on the home he used to know; the Great Valley.


	14. The Return

Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike gathered in one of the several secluded spots in the Great Valley. The trees around them had some of the leaves on the trees yellow and patches of dead or faintly yellow grass. There were two boulders to sit on, each big enough for Spike, the biggest one, to sit on. Yet, he did not. The teenaged Cera took one, lying on the flat rock plate. Petrie and Ducky shared the other. Petrie perched on it as Ducky sat straight up with her feet and some of her tail dangling off the rock. Ducky sighed.

"This is going nowhere."

"Me knows," agreed Petrie, the adult-sized brown Pteranodon with black eyes. "When are the parents gonna agree on something?"

"It better be soon," commented Cera, the yellow Triceratops with green eyes. Her three horns were almost completely grown.

"Yeah," said Spike, the forest green Stegosaurus with violet eyes. The plates on his back were growing, but they hadn't reached their full growth potential.

"This is annoying," said Ducky, the green Parasaurolophus with blue eyes. "Why don't we do something about it."

"We can't fix it, Ducky," said Cera. "Besides, we don't know where to start. If we did, then we would've fixed the problem. It happened before, but when we checked in the spots around the Great Valley, the water seemed further-backed up."

"But we could easily follow the waterway," stated Spike. "It can't be that far. We can fix it."

"Yeah…but I sense it to be different."

Ducky, Petrie, and Spike faced each other briefly and then turned at Cera.

"Sense different?" questioned Petrie. "How?"

"I…I can't explain it, but you know when you get the feeling of your gut when something is bad."

"Woah, Cera," Spike said. "I never suspected you to have an open-minded approach on things…not to be mean or anything."

Cera gave him an annoyed look and shook her head.

"Yeah, well, it's part of growing up. You become wiser and approach things carefully. That's why I asked Petrie to get Littlefoot. He usually knows what to do when things like this happens. For a small brain, he's very open-minded."

"In all my years, I never thought I would hear those words come out of your mouth."

"Whatever Spike. To be honest, I thought you were never going to say a word ever in your life."

Spike narrowed his eyes.

"So, Petrie," said Ducky, changing the topic. "When did you talk to Littlefoot?"

"Me think three bright circles ago. Hopefully, he will be here soon."

"Alright," said Cera. "We should go over the plan again: we tell Littlefoot about the problem, we follow the waterway, Littlefoot tells how to fix it, we fix it, and then we return home."

"You forgot two things," brought up Spike. "When we come back, we get attacked by sharpteeth and then we win and then we come back."

"Oh, right," said Cera. "We can't forget the damn sharpteeth."

"I wish Littlefoot we here now," said Ducky.

"Me go check," said Petrie.

He flapped his wings and took off into the clear blue sky. His friends watched him leave. Moments after he disappeared from their sights, Cera stood up.

"Well, might as well check too."

Ducky and Cera got off the rocks they were on as Spike stood up from the soft dirt. The three started walking towards the entrance of the valley.

* * *

><p>Ali continued to walk along the path Littlefoot journeyed through. Tall trees with thin trunks stood along the path, scattered from a straight row. The ground had some grassy patches decorating the path in front of Ali. She exhaled loudly.<p>

"This is nice," she breathed.

She looked around and realized everything was alive. She decided to investigate the area further. From experience, green food equals water. She deterred from the path and walked through the thin trees. After walking a short distance, she made it to a clearing. In the center of the clearing was a big body of water. She smiled in relief and eagerly jogged to it. She looked down at her reflection in the water and smiled.

"Water," she muttered.

She lowered her head and took a long-deserved drink. She did not care if it was unladylike to slurp the water. If you were close to death, the last thing you would care about was how you drank or ate something. Ali lifted her head as water fell from her mouth. She looked back at her reflection in the water. She saw that her face didn't look as before. This was most likely due to the sleepless night.

"It's horrible how one night can mess up your look. Good thing it's only slightly."

She looked at the sides of her face using the water like a mirror.

"But he shouldn't care if he truly loves me… Still, I want to look my best."

She thought about what to do before reaching a verdict. She dunked her head into the water for a few seconds and then lifted her head up. She shook off the water running down the scales of her head. Her eyes widened. She turned around and pressed onward to her goal.

* * *

><p>The residents of the Great Valley gathered at the entrance of the valley. A gray flyer who served as a lookout had spotted a longneck near the Great Valley. Mr. Threehorn, an old, gray Triceratops, was in front of the gathered crowd of dinosaurs with his mate Tricia, a dark pinkish Triceratops about Mr. Threehorn's name. Mr. Threehorn, or Topps, was the father of Cera. He stood stiff, ready for an attack.<p>

They had to be on their feet. The Great Valley, their home, was slowly dying. The area around them had some green, but it was mostly yellow around them. Rooted logs of dead trees dominated the barely living trees of the valley. Only few sections of the valley stood green. This was probably due to underground springs. The grass patches under some of the feet of the residents were prickly instead of being soft. This did not make them move. They were focusing their eyes on the two dinosaurs that were walking towards them through the entrance of the Great Valley, which was just a narrow pathway in-between two red-brownish valley walls. Well, it was two dinosaurs, but it appeared to be one under the shadows. The sunlight soon revealed that the figure in the shadows proved to be two dinosaurs. One was a longneck, and the other was a flyer, who was on top of the longneck. The residents watched as the two approached them. The duo was lost in conversation.

"It's real bad, Littlefoot."

"So, you have no water."

Petrie nodded. Littlefoot sighed.

"This is déjà vu all over again."

Littlefoot came to a stop in front of Topps. Petrie flew off his head and landed next to Ducky, who was the front part of the crowd. Littlefoot looked down to face the two Triceratopses, who were looking up at him.

"Hi."

"Littlefoot?" questioned Tricia.

Littlefoot smiled.

"What are you doing here?" asked Topps in a stern, but wondering voice.

"Well, Petrie said you guys have a problem."

Before Tricia responded, the prideful Topps spoke first.

"We can handle it. We have been managing through this crisis."

"A crisis?" wondered Littlefoot.

"A crisis? I mean a little problem. Nothing to be concerned about."

Tricia faced her mate and narrowed her eyes. She then looked back at Littlefoot.

"When he says little, he means big."

Topps turned towards Tricia with a slightly maddened expression. Tricia felt his stare and looked at him sternly. After a short communication with the eyes, they faced Littlefoot. Topps spoke.

"Well…it's just that the water dried up and…"

"I know Mr. Threehorn. Petrie already informed me about it a little bit more clearly know. The water had stopped, and you have checked around the Great Valley to fix it, but you came up empty."

"… Yeah. That's pretty much it."

"Alright. Well, I was thinking it through, and I remembered something."

"Remembered what?" questioned Tricia.

"As I was walking, I found a place that can serve as a temporary home."

"… What do you mean by temporary home?" asked Topps. "Are you…"

Littlefoot smiled.

"I tell you when I fix the problem."


	15. Found

Littlefoot led the residents of the Great Valley out into the Mysterious Beyond. The first thing to do before fixing the problem was to make sure they were well-off. Littlefoot didn't want his friends to stare and fight over for food. Littlefoot, much to Topps's grudge, walked in front of the herd, leading them to the place he saw a couple of days ago. Petrie perched on his head. Cera walked beside Littlefoot.

"So, Littlefoot," brought up Petrie, "where you taking us?"

"Well, as I told you, I'm taking you to where you can eat and sleep as much as you want until I find the problem."

"But Littlefoot, the problem can be fixed soon. We not have to leave the Great Valley."

Littlefoot was silent for a moment. Cera looked up to him.

"So, you don't know where to begin?" questioned Cera.

Littlefoot looked down as he continued to walk.

"I do, but I think it's going to take a little bit longer to solve it. Usually the problems about the Great Valley have been near the Great Valley, but I think it's a little bit more further from the Great Valley. I don't know how long it will take, but-"

"Littlefoot," addressed Petrie. "You talk like you going alone."

"Well, I feel that you guys would need to keep the elders safe from sharpteeth."

"But our parents can take care of themselves," said Cera.

"But Cera, they can't defend themselves as when we were younger. The place I am leading you to is open to sharpteeth, though I didn't see any."

Cera sighed.

"I guess you're right. They are a bit weaker than before… Don't tell my dad that."

"Alright. So when I solve this crisis, I'll tell you about it. It might take me a couple of bright circles, or it might take me many, many bright circles."

Littlefoot looked forward and saw some green. It appeared to be several miles away from them. He smiled. Soon, the residents of the Great Valley would be very content.

* * *

><p>Rhett and Janet continued to walk through the barren wasteland. They had already passed through the dead forest. The sun devilishly beamed down on them as they walked on the cracked ground.<p>

"It's hot today," he commented.

"No kidding," agreed Janet. "My scales are burning up."

"So, where do you think they are at?" asked Rhett, referring to Ali and Littlefoot.

"I bet Littlefoot has made it already to the Great Valley. It has been a few bright circles. I also think Ali made it too."

"I just hope Littlefoot isn't going to be her first."

"Yeah. I know I was wrong, and he takes me back before her so we can mate."

"Agreed…and a few other things."

Janet faced Rhett.

"Like what?"

"Well, um, just other things…smaller things from mating."

"I'm still somewhat confused."

"… Like kissing and stuff."

Janet's eyes widened.

"You never kissed her? I knew you guys weren't together, but I thought you two shared a kiss."

"Not really. Her and I are one of the same."

"You mean you've never kissed before?"

"Kind of hard to believe, huh?"

Hardly, thought Janet.

The way Ali had described Rhett to her was like if he would bore anyone to death. Besides, she even thought of him a being somewhat as a shallow and selfish longneck, but she had to admit that she was really communicating with him. If she had to pick a partner to go on a quest with, Rhett would be second in mind, Littlefoot being the first.

"Anyways, that's my story," said Rhett. "I have never been involved with a female romantically. Not even during mating season."

"Wait. I thought all the males were humping that night?"

"I singled out. The elder did say that there were a little fewer females than males. I…couldn't really communicate. I have never been with another female besides Ali before that night. I didn't know how to react to strangers."

"Well, you're acting quite fine. We barely know each other, so we can consider ourselves of acquaintances."

Rhett smiled.

"I guess."

Rhett and Janet continued to walk through the barren wasteland, each of them thinking about the outcome of not only this adventure, but also the outcome of themselves.

* * *

><p>Ali continued to walk across the semi-cracked land that separated the forest she was in and the Great Valley. There was some life, but not a whole lot. The sunlight reflected off the ground, but the ground wasn't that hot compared to other times. Ali looked up into the sky and smiled.<p>

"Today is a nice day."

In the near distance, she heard a roar. She looked down from the sky and saw a red Giganotosaurus heading her way. The vicious yellow-eyed beast charged at Ali. Ali stiffened a bit at first. It had been quite a while since she had seen a sharptooth. The last time she saw one was when her mother was protecting her from one. Like her father, the sharptooth finished off her mother. Ever since that day, she had always been terrified of sharpteeth. Sure, she was scared before then, but being scared and being terrified are two different sorts of beings.

As soon as the sharptooth ran to the midpoint between where he last stood when Ali saw him and Ali, Ali got out of the trace and turned around to run. She sprinted as fast as she could, heading back into the forest. Sure, she could've taken the thing. It was shy from her total height of about three feet, but it was the whole experience of seeing her mother again that made her run.

She looked back and saw the monster chasing her. She looked forward and saw that she neared the forest. Hopefully, she could lose him in the tall trees. She zigzagged through the trees as best as she could, but it didn't help. Because the Giganotosaurus was bipedal, it maneuvered through the trees more gracefully than Ali. She cleared the trees and made it to the huge pool of water. She stopped at the shore of it and looked back. The sharptooth had just emerged out of the trees and roared at Ali. It approached Ali, ready to digest. Ali knew she couldn't run and faced the sharptooth. She took a step forward.

Only meters apart, the sharptooth roared again. Ali used her tail as a whip and smacked the sharptooth's head with it. The sharptooth roared in annoyance and attacked Ali. It lunged at her with its tiny claws. Ali moved slighting away, but one of the three-clawed hands of the beast scarred below the middle of Ali's neck. No blood poured out, but Ali felt the small pain from the wind brushing up against this cut. Ali moved back a bit, closing her eyes briefly. She opened them to find the sharpteeth lunging at her again. She picked herself up from her hind legs to intimidate the sharptooth, but it failed. The sharptooth had wrapped its teeth around her front left leg. She roared in pain and dropped her front feet to the ground. The sharptooth was brought down to the floor and soon let go of her leg after the shock of her feet hitting the ground. Ali took a few steps back as the sharptooth scrabbled to lift itself off the ground. The beast roared once it got up. Ali didn't know how long she would last. It was only a matter of time before the beast won.

"Get away from her!"

Ali and the sharptooth looked to westward. Ali could distinguish the figure, but the sharptooth couldn't. As soon as it noticed the dinosaur, it was rammed by it. The sharptooth was knocked to the ground, rolling a small distance as it fell on the ground. The Giganotosaurus was lifting itself from the ground when a powerful tail slammed down on its spine. It collapsed to the floor. It slowly picked itself up in agonizing pain and faced the dinosaur that knocked it down. Littlefoot stood in front of Ali, waiting for the sharptooth to attack. This hungry sharptooth was not stupid. With a slightly chipped backbone, it started to slowly walk away from the longnecks. It disappeared into the woods, enjoying the last of its days in pain.

Littlefoot relaxed a bit. The ground slightly shock near him. He turned around to see Ali on the ground. Littlefoot looked at her body and noticed she was severely bleeding from her front left leg. Worried, he looked around. Some vines hung from the tree and there were some leaves that were able to cover up the leg and stop the bleeding. He hurriedly walked to gather some huge leaves and vines. He returned promptly to mend to Ali's wound. He placed the leaves on top of the circular wound and kept them in place by tying the vines around the leaf-covered leg. Ali faintly saw him as he helped her. She smiled.

"Littlefoot," she whispered before closing her eyes and slipping into unconsciousness.


	16. Together

"Damn, they must've walked far," stated Rhett.

Janet looked back at him as they continued to walk across the barren wasteland.

"Well, the Great Valley is a few bright circles away from Green Valley. Besides, weren't you and Ali part of a migrating herd? No offense, but shouldn't you be accustomed to this?"

"When you go into the life of luxury, suffering through the trials you endured are harder."

Janet shook her head.

"I wouldn't call living in Green Valley a luxurious life."

"No, but it's better than living out here."

Janet quickly answered.

"True," she simply said.

She looked forward and smiled.

"So, Rhett, how far did you get with her?"

Rhett sighed.

"I don't really want to talk about it.

"C'mon. I can give you some pointers."

"Oh, alright. It's hard to believe, but my relationship with Ali has been good friends."

Not hard at all, thought Janet.

"Well, haven't you thought that she isn't for you?"

"Now that's hard to believe, because me and Ali have been together like treestars on trees."

"Treestars on trees don't last forever."

Rhett exhaled softly.

"I know. I've tried, but I always fell short. Now with Littlefoot in the way, she's basically tripping for him. I guess I was always second on her mind."

Janet replied without facing him.

"You and me have something in common afterall."

Rhett stared at the back of Janet's head as they continued to walk. He couldn't help but smile.

* * *

><p>Ali slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of times before her vision cleared. She lifted her head up and looked around. She was near the body of water she had drunk from not too long ago. Trees surrounded the area, protecting her from the view of sharpteeth. She also realized that others were all around her. Some dinosaurs were eating; some were drinking or bathing; some were playing; and some were napping. At the corner of her eye, she noticed that a longneck was napping next to her. She quickly recognized it to be Littlefoot. It wasn't just a dream. Littlefoot did actually save her.<p>

She moved her head down to his head on the ground and licked his cheek. Littlefoot began to stir from his nap. His eyes slowly opened. He yawned as he lifted his head.

"Sorry," he heard. "I didn't mean to wake you."

With his eyes focused, he turned his head towards who was speaking to him. His face brightened as he saw Ali's face.

"Ali. You're okay."

Ali smiled.

"Yes, I am. And it's because of you, Littlefoot. Thank you for saving me."

"But Ali," started Littlefoot in a slightly serious, but caring, tone, "you shouldn't be out here."

"Why not? Can't I roam freely in this world?"

"…Well, yes…but you shouldn't be out here. You should be in Green Valley. Besides, why are you out here?"

Ali half-closed her eyes.

"I came out here looking for some exotic berries."

Littlefoot caught her sarcasm and figured out why she was out here.

"But, Ali, you shouldn't have followed me out here. It's dangerous..."

Then his voice softened.

"I almost lost you."

Ali relaxed her face at the sound of that sentence, slightly smiling.

"I know, Littlefoot. I'm sorry for all this."

"Don't be."

Ali looked down towards the foot that was bitten and saw that it was wrapped with some vines and covered with leaves. Ali looked up at Littlefoot, impressed.

"Did,,,did you do this?"

"Yeah," Littlefoot replied. "It was an old technique Grandpa showed me when Grandma was injured."

"Oh, so your grandpa showed you how to do this?"

Littlefoot nodded.

"Well, he showed you good, Littlefoot. With this, I think I'll be healed in no time."

Littlefoot slightly nodded.

"Um…Ali?"

"Yes? What is it, Littlefoot?"

"Is it true? You only came out here looking for me?"

"Littlefoot, I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

Littlefoot quickly thought about it.

"True."

Ali chuckled a little. The way he said the word was rather cute. Littlefoot gulped.

"But I thought you were with Rhett. Rhett said-"

"Littlefoot, Rhett has been jealous ever since you arrived to Green Valley. Remember the stories he made-up when we were younger?"

"Yeah. So, I should've known that he would make something up. It was believable though. You two were close, like if you were stuck in sinking sand."

"We were together, but not in that sense. I never went out with him. I never went out with any longneck. I never had a kiss from a male who I considered to be with me. On top of that, I never have been in any relationship with any longneck."

She paused. She started to speak again, with her voice being quieter.

"I waited for you."

Littlefoot's eyes widened. Of every male she could've gone out with, she chose none of them and waited only for him. He could only imagine what Ali felt like when she discovered that Janet and him were dating. Waiting so long for someone to only see them with someone else blows your heart into pieces. He was surprised she didn't crack when Janet and he in the water, making it look like they were doing it.

"Waited all this time…for me?"

"Do I need to repeat myself? Yes, I waited for you… It was just that…you found another. I guess I was second during that time."

Littlefoot shook his head.

"Not at all. Ali, I always did think of you, but we didn't see each other for a few cold times. I thought I was never going to see you. As soon as my grandparents died, I realized I needed to find one who would be with me as I grew old. I met Janet during my travels, and we eventually became closer together, before she cursed me out and we separated."

Littlefoot moved his head closer to Ali, causing her to blush.

"But Ali. Everything changed when I saw you again. It was unfortunate when we met, and for the time, I thought you and Rhett were intimate. I was a blind fool. I…disobeyed my mother for not following my heart."

Ali smiled slightly.

"Littlefoot, you didn't disobey, because your heart still yearned for me. It was your mind tricking you. Sometimes, that happens."

There was a paused before Ali spoke again.

"Well, Littlefoot. What do we do now?"

Littlefoot smiled.

"Well, Ali. Since I'm a single longneck, I thought maybe we could-"

"Littlefoot."

Littlefoot and Ali looked towards the woods, following the voice, and saw Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike emerging out of the forest. The teen-sized Ducky's jaw dropped into a smile.

"Ali. You're okay."

Ali smiled. The dinosaurs that she had been so scared of the first time they met had all grown.

"Ducky; Cera; Petrie; Spike. It's great to see you."

"Same here," said a happy Petrie. "Littlefoot was so worried about you."

Ali smiled as Littlefoot blushed.

"Littlefoot," addressed Cera in a more serious tone, "my father wants to talk to you about the crisis at hand."

"Oh, right. I was supposed to talk to him."

"Wait," said Ali. "Everyone from the Great Valley is here."

Petrie nodded.

"It's a looooong story."

"I'll explain everything later," said Littlefoot. "Now, let's see what Mr. Threehorn wants."

The gang of six dinosaurs walked away from the soft shore of the large body of water and headed into the woods.


	17. Duty

Littlefoot and his company confronted the old Mr. Threehorn. The gray Triceratops looked at the young adults. The group was surrounded by tall trees, but they stood clear from the path. Mr. Threehorn looked to his left, facing in the direction of the large lake, and then back at the young adults. He grinned lightly and lifted his head up to look at Littlefoot's face.

"Before I began, I want to say thanks. This place is…livable. You have saved us."

"Thank you, Mr. Threehorn, but I had done no such thing. I only relocated the residents. The problem isn't solved yet."

"But we tried, Littlefoot. There seems to be no solution close at tail."

"Well, I just need to go further up. There might be a solution found far beyond the valley."

"But the Mysterious Beyond is vast. How could you-"

"Trust me."

Littlefoot smiled to reassure Mr. Threehorn that everyone would be alright. However, Mr. Threehorn couldn't help but worried. He looked at the other dinosaurs around Littlefoot.

"Uh…Littlefoot and I need to talk in private."

Cera was the only one shocked by this. Her dad had always shown prejudice towards longnecks. Yet, she could see eyes of concern towards Littlefoot. All her life, she had seen her dad place the blame on Littlefoot. Now, it looked like he had fancied Littlefoot as one of his own. She just shook her head, out of this delusion she might be having.

"C'mon," she told the gang without particularly facing them. She turned around and started walking towards the direction of the lake. "Let's go for a swim. It'll be good for Ali to relax in the water."

"Ah, yes, yes, yes," agreed Ducky. "There's a spot that is the most relaxing."

Ali looked from Ducky to Littlefoot. He smiled to assure her everything was fine. She slightly grinned and followed the gang through the tall trees. Littlefoot looked down towards Mr. Threehorn. Mr. Threehorn looked up from where he last saw Ali.

"Well, I'll be," he told Littlefoot. "You found a mate."

"Mr. Threehorn," he said in a serious tone, trying so hard not to blush, "I think we have something else to worry about then my personal life."

"But Littlefoot, why would you go on a dangerous task that you might not return from? Don't you need to expand your herd? Isn't that why you left?"

Littlefoot inhaled and then exhaled loudly.

"Yes, but Petrie came looking for me. The valley residents can't survive out here. I need to fix the problem and get the dinosaurs back into the Great Valley."

"But Littlefoot, why are you putting so much weight on your back?"

Littlefoot slightly smiled.

"Who else is going to fix it?"

"But…what about your grandparents wishes?"

Littlefoot's facial expression dropped into more of a serious tone.

"What do you know about them? You weren't even there when my grandparents died."

Mr. Threehorn had a nervous look on his face.

"Well…um…"

He saw the irritancy of his stuttering in Littlefoot's eyes. He sighed, relaxing his face. He looked up at Littlefoot.

"There is something you need to know. Before your grandparents died, your grandpa confronted me on an issue about you. He said that if he happened to be gone from this world one day, he wanted me to make sure you settled down and started a family. He told me that I shouldn't let you go out on what you so-call adventuring."

Littlefoot thought about it.

"Then why did you let me leave the Great Valley?"

"You were trying to find a mate. I had to let you go. You were the only male. Now, there's a female. I suggest you be a father than a hero. Look at this place. It has green food and water. It has all that we need to survive for a Cold Time. Be a father first before you become a hero."

Littlefoot paused to think. After a few moments, he shook his head.

"I can't do it. My instincts tell me that saving the valley is first. Even if we had…babies...I wouldn't want them to be raised in the Mysterious Beyond. My childhood out here was horrible. Yes, we have food and water now, but we are still prone to danger."

Mr. Threehorn heaved.

"Well, you're an adult, and I know I can't stop you. You've always been too sneaky. However…what about your 'friend'?"

Littlefoot thought about it. Ali, she almost died. He couldn't let her get into danger. Who knows what would happen?

"She's staying here until I get back. It isn't safe with me. She's safer here."

"Littlefoot, are you sure? What if you don't come back? You'll die without ever expanding your herd."

"It's less painful than Ali having no mate and our children…if we had some hypothetically…having no father."

Mr. Threehorn thought about it. He nodded.

"So what will you tell the girl?"

Littlefoot sighed, turning around and walking away from Mr. Threehorn. The Triceratops heard his final words

"I don't know."

Mr. Threehorn watched the longneck walk off along the path in-between the rows of trees. He slowly walked into the woods, vanishing into them.

* * *

><p>Night had arrived. The Great Valley residents had all gone to sleep. Littlefoot looked at the stars above him. He and Ali had decided to sleep side-by-side in front of the lake. Their sleeping spot laid a few meters away from the shore of the lake. Littlefoot exhaled loudly. Ali, who was still waiting for Littlefoot to rest, looked up at him.<p>

"Littlefoot, what's wrong?"

Littlefoot looked down at Ali.

"Ali, we need to talk."

In the back of her mind, Ali knew this was bad. The tone Littlefoot had said it frightened her. She kind of had an idea as to why he wanted to talk.

"Is it about the Great Valley?"

Littlefoot nodded.

"I still need to fix it. It isn't safe out here. You should know that sharpteeth attacks are bound to happen frequently out here than inside the valley."

"Yes," agreed Ali, "I know. So, what's the plan?"

Littlefoot sighed. He knew what she meant.

"It'll be a journey to find the problem. I don't know the true outcome, but I hope for the best. Ali, today really scared me. I want you to stay here-"

Ali's eyes widened.

"-with the others. As a herd, we are strong. I'll feel a lot better if you stay here as I fix this problem."

"No," Ali replied. "I didn't walk for bright circles to only be separated from you again."

"I know, Ali, but I just worry. If you go with me, I can't guarantee your safety."

"Well, it's a risk I'm willing to take."

"But-"

"Littlefoot, why am I here? Why did I walk out during mating night? Why did I wait for you? Littlefoot, it's because I love you."

Love. Something Littlefoot had yearned for ever since his grandparents died. A powerful feeling that could mend the broken heart. Something that gives the mind and body the power to survival. Something…that no one never wanted to let go off. But Littlefoot knew he couldn't stay. He needed to help his dinosaurs. They had lived in the Great Valley for too long and lost touch with the dangers of the Mysterious Beyond. Littlefoot sensed that some of the folks felt unease. In order for the Great Valley to become livable again, he needed to find a solution to the problem. It was not only for the Great Valley residents, but it was also for generations to come.

He looked into Ali's blue eyes and sighed. Ali knew what he meant and looked down in sadness. She lowered her neck towards the ground and looked away from Littlefoot. Littlefoot lowered his head, mounting a small portion of his neck on Ali's neck. His chin touched the ground. He turned his head towards Ali's face.

"Ali."

Ali slowing turned her head towards Littlefoot. He noticed her eyes were shimmering from water, about to cry out.

"Doesn't it mean anything? Doesn't finding you and declaring I love you mean something? Now, that I'm here, you just want to go by yourself. I didn't come here to only have you part from me."

"It's not like that, Ali. I…I just want your safety, and I feel that your safer here. Ali, I can't lose you."

"Nor I. What if you never come back?"

"Don't think that. I will come back. I will come back with everything right."

Littlefoot lifted his head up slight and rubbed Ali's cheek with his cheek. He felt a running droplet of water touching his cheek. He lifted his head away from Ali and noticed that her eyes were close. He set his head next to Ali's head, almost touching her cheek with her cheek. As he closed his eyes to drift to sleep, he whispered something in hopes Ali head it.

"Ali, have faith I will return to you."


	18. I'll Follow You

The Earth was welcomed by a new day. The sun was barely rising over the horizon, displaying its shades of orange. A cool breeze from the east made the morning not a scorcher. Littlefoot opened his eyes and lifted his head up. He saw the big lake near him and the live trees near from where he slept. Today seemed like a nice day to start an adventure.

He looked down and saw Ali. Ali, the longneck that risked her life to see him and declared her love to him, slept peacefully beside him. He smiled. Though it pained her, he had to go alone on this quest. The events of yesterday shook him. Ali was almost gone in a blink of an eye. If he hadn't had hurried, he would've seen the bones and decaying flesh of the female longneck. The thought cringed onto his heart very tightly. It reminded him when that sharptooth bit of his mother's back, a memory he would rather ignore. At least, she would have a better chance here than with him.

He rose to his feet and walked into the forest, disappearing from the sleeping community.

* * *

><p>Rhett rose from his slumber and let out a giant yawn. The morning sun had risen to the point of midmorning in the spring time. A refreshing breeze was coming from the east, but he didn't fully feel it. They had sleep under an arching cliff of a small mountain or rocky hill. He looked at the cracked, open ground below him and then looked to his left. Janet still slept. She lay on top of the cliff-shaded ground. He lowered his neck towards her.<p>

"Janet, we need to go. Get up."

Janet lazily opened her hazel eyes and looked into the face of Rhett.

"Hey, Rhett."

"C'mon, the bright circle has risen."

He moved his neck away from her and started to walk away a little. Janet lifted her neck and stretched it out. However, she forgot she had slept over a cliff hanging. She banged her head on the roof of the rocky cliff hanging. Rhett saw this and started up a slow laugh before it got louder. Janet shook her head and faced Rhett with a stern face. He settled down his laugh and kept a smirk on his face.

"You have to admit that was funny."

"Oh, just shut it Rhett."

She walked out of the shaded area and took a few steps south.

"C'mon, we're close."

Rhett nodded.

"Hopefully there are no more bumps."

Janet stopped and turned her head around. She moved her head closer to Rhett. Their faces were only two meters apart.

"You better-"

"Alright, alright. I'll stop. I'm just lighting things up."

Janet narrowed her eyes and huffed. She turned back forward and started heading south. Rhett swayed his head a little to his right.

"Sheesh," he whispered. "What's up her tail? I thought that was funny."

He walked behind her, keeping a safe distance from her tail.

* * *

><p>Ali awoke to see that no one was beside her. She quickly lifted her neck and looked around. The residents of the Great Valley were either eating, swimming, or relaxing. It also seemed all of them were in this vegetated, open area. Ali narrowed her eyes.<p>

"He better be behind the trees," she whispered to herself.

She picked herself up from the ground.

"Good morning, Ali."

She looked back to see an adolescent Petrie standing a few feet behind her tail. She turned around to face him and posed a smile.

"Good morning, Petrie."

"Me was wondering if you okay."

"I'm getting there. Say, Petrie? Where's Littlefoot?"

"Littlefoot? Mm. Me have not seen him."

Ali's eyes widened, but she then narrowed her eyes. She then knew where he went of to.

"He didn't even wait for me. He's gon-"

"Ali, don't," said Petrie. "Maybe Littlefoot left early and not tell you to protect you."

"I know he did, but he's out there all alone. The only thing he's doing is making me worry."

"But Ali, he was really scared about yesterday. I mean, you almost died."

"I didn't travel here just so he could wonder off and leave me behind. I'm going, whether he likes it or not."

"Ali, wait. Littlefoot wanted you to stay here… You mean a lot to him. I think you're the only one that he has left to love."

"… Love? Love. He loves me!"

"Well, me just guessing. It looks like love, with all the worrying."

The excitement in Ali's eyes died out.

"But you can't base love on that, Petrie. He cares about us all. Just because he saved me doesn't mean he's in love with me. It's like if it's big and alive, it's a sharptooth."

"Sharptooth! Where?"

Petrie looked around for a sharptooth from where he stood. Ali sighed.

"It was just an example."

Petrie faced Ali and dumbly smiled.

"Oh. Me knew that."

There was a couple seconds of pause before Petrie spoke again.

"Ali, Littlefoot was so scared… Me think it brought back the thought of his mother."

Ali thought about it. Littlefoot mentioned that his mother died when he was very young, but didn't go into full details about it. They were kids at the time. It was when they were walking to the Valley of Mists that Ali had brought it up. Littlefoot just said his mother died when he was young, but he didn't elaborate on it. Now, Ali was just beginning to put a piece into the puzzle. If Ali about to get chomped down reminded Littlefoot of his mother's final moments, then Littlefoot's mother had her fate sealed in battle with a sharptooth. She softened her face at Petrie.

"I… Littlefoot told me a little about it, but I didn't know."

"Ali, he's just doing what he thinks is right in protecting you."

Ali thought about it for a minute before speaking up again.

"But he has ignored what I want. I want to be by his side, even if it means my death."

There was a moment of silence before Petrie replied.

"So what will you do?"

"I'll follow him, and if you plan to stop me-"

Petrie smiled.

"Me don't know if me can. Me way smaller than you…and me don't think anyone listen to me."

Ali smiled.

"Thanks Petrie."

Ali walked towards the forest of tall trees and disappeared behind them. Petrie nodded and flapped his wings. He took to the skies and looked down in hopes of finding where his friends were.

* * *

><p>Littlefoot continued to walk across the forest he was in. The wild forest was home of tall, red-trunked trees. He had gone west from where the valley residents were. The trees were amazing, reaching a little beyond his grandfather's height. He was only eighty-one percent of his grandfather's height. His grandfather probably towered at the height of thirty-two feet, which included the neck. He could barely reach the good branches trees, but the ground provided green food if the branches were too hard to get.<p>

He continued to walk across the unmarked trail. He looked from left to right from time to time. The most dangerous place to be was in the forest. Predators of all types could be stocking the forest, hunting for…a longneck.

Littlefoot looked forward. He sighed in relief as he saw he neared the exit of the forest. He knew it was the exit because he saw the vegetation barely growing and no giant trees. He smiled, but then sensed something wrong. He turned to his right to see a glimpse of a charging Deinonychus. The bipedal dinosaur jumped at Littlefoot and latched on his right side with its talons. Littlefoot felt immense pain as blood started to pour out.

He reacted fast before the fast-biter could bite into his back. He hurriedly slammed his side into a tree. The Deinonychus fell off Littlefoot's side at impact on the tree. Littlefoot faced the fallen dinosaur and was about to stomp on it when he felt a second Deinonychus clawed his left side, near his tail. Since the beast was near his tail, Littlefoot was able to squat the fast-biter off of him. The second Deinoychus fell and hit the ground in a skid on its back as the first Deinonychus rose to its feet. Littlefoot saw this and kicked the Deinonychus against the tree with so much force that its rib cage broke. It fainted with the air being knocked out of it. Littlefoot then turned his attention towards the second Deinonychus, but as he turned, the carnivorous beast managed to attach itself on Littlefoot's left side, near his chest. Littlefoot did something drastic by lowering his neck and grabbing the Deinonychus's neck with his teeth. He pulled the beast off of him and raised it into the air. The Deinoychus squirmed around, grazing Littlefoot's neck with his talons. No blood escaped, but a scratch was seen. Littlefoot picked up the Deinonychus as high as he could and throw it aside. It glided through the air as far as a baseball player smacked a ball almost out of the field, but only manage to bat it far enough to gain two bases.

The Deinonychus struggled to get to its feet, but it got up nonetheless. It roared at Littlefoot before running away cowardly. The battle was won for now. Littlefoot looked at the damage on his body. He wasn't squirting out a lot of blood, but it would take a day or two to heal. Littlefoot looked around and saw some big leafs that belong to plants on the ground. He plucked a few out and tried to rub off the blood the best he could. He would've draped them over his wounds, but they would fall as he walked since the wounds were on his sides. Littlefoot managed to get rid of some of the blood, and the wounds slowed down their blood flow, looking as if the blood had stopped pouring out.

Littlefoot dropped the used leaves on the ground and continued to walk out of the forest. He entered a part of the land that was grassy and had a few thin trees scattered about. Hopefully, he would find a water source soon to rest and drink.

Ali, this is why I wanted you to stay behind.


	19. Past Memories

Rhett and Janet made it to a forest filled with tall trees. The grassy path before them was big enough for them to walk side-by-side. Rhett looked up, fascinated by the height of the trees. He blinked.

"I wonder how they taste like."

Janet glanced at him and noticed he was looking up. She followed his eyes and realized he was looking at the leaves.

"I don't know. Probably they would put up there to keep away from their deliciousness."

Rhett faced Janet, as part of his face was shaded by the branches filled with leaves.

"But that isn't fair. Everyone should be able to get some."

Janet slightly smiled.

"Yeah, but my mother always told me that those who work harder will get a fulfilling reward."

Rhett swayed his head a little and sighed.

"I guess so. If everyone was equal, then any longneck could be a leader of a herd, which could be bad."

"C'mon. I hear voices over here."

Rhett and Janet stopped at the sound of the voice. They saw a figure walk out of the woods. The teenaged bigmouth looked up at them and smiled. Soon, a yellow three-horn, and a spiketail with a brown flyer on its back walked out of the forest's depths.

"See. I knew it. Yep."

The teen Triceratops sighed, smiling.

"You were right, Ducky."

"Oooo," sounded Petrie. "They're longnecks too."

Janet raised her left eye a bit, like a human would raise his eyebrow in question.

"Excuse, but what do you mean by longnecks too?"

"Well, like Littlefoot and Ali," replied Ducky.

Rhett and Janet faced each other and then faced the group of dinosaurs. Janet lowered her head towards Ducky.

"You know Littlefoot and Ali as well?"

"Sure. We've known them since we were little. Yep, yep."

Cera stood silent throughout the conversation, which was a little strange. Usually, she would butt-in. However, her eyes focused on the brown longneck with green eyes. Rhett finally noticed she was staring him down and lowered his head towards her.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah," Cera replied in a wondering, yet determined tone. "You look like someone I've meet before."

Rhett tried to remember if he befriended any threehorn. He thought about it and shook his head when he came to a conclusion.

"I can't seem to remember It's been a long time since my childhood, and all I remember is just the travels in the Mysterious Beyond and some places, including the Great Valley."

Cera's eyes widened.

"Now I remember. You're Rhett."

Janet looked at Rhett, puzzled that the threehorn knew him. Ducky looked up at Rhett and smiled.

"Yep. It is Rhett, Ali's friend."

Rhettt tried to remember back again. They mentioned they knew Littlefoot and Ali. He met Littlefoot long ago in the Great Valley… It soon dawned on him. Littlefoot had an usual group, which all tricked him, but he deserved it for fibbing. After that, they played. He smiled at Cera once he remembered.

"Now, I know who you guys are. You're Littlefoot's friends. Sorry I didn't recognize you. I'm a bit delusional without some water."

"We have plenty water," said Petrie.

"Yeah," said Cera. "Follow us."

The group of dinosaurs led Janet and Rhett into the depths of the forest.

* * *

><p>Damn. If it didn't sting so much, I would be resting.<p>

Littlefoot was sitting down on the shore of a small lake. The lake was sealed of, meaning it had no continuous flow of water going into it. It was probably made from the Cold Time. With this source of water, small plants and something that looked like grass sprouted out from the nearby ground. There were a few lightly scattered trees around it, meaning that this body of water would be here all year long.

Littlefoot lowered his head towards the lake. He took a big gulp of water and swallowed it. He lifted his head up slightly so he could see his reflection. He smirked.

"Coming from a fast-biter battle and still looking good," he said to himself.

He looked back to see how bad the wounds were. The blood had dried, but the scars would remind him of this day. He sighed and looked back at the watery mirror. He looked at his image for a short time before it disappeared. The image of grandparents was soon shown. He smiled as flashbacks filled his mind. He remembered the worry, the stress, the frustration, and the calm anger he caused as an infant. Even in the couple of years before their death, he still caused 'mischief'. However, he also remembered the joy, the excitement, the teaching and learning experience, and the comfort they had as a family.

Now, the only family member he had left in this world was his father, and that was a maybe. A very big maybe. Time affects all and everything around it. There's no telling if his father was alive…or worse. The last time he saw his father was a couple years back. He and Shorty, his stepbrother, had come for a visit. In fact, the whole herd came. He pranced Littlefoot around, saying that one day, he would lead a massive herd out of any danger. Well, that bit was true. He was out here, trying to save his friends and the residents of the Great Valley. He left Janet and the whole family thing behind for now. He viewed this as slightly more important. It ruined his relationship with Janet, but he just couldn't leave his dinosaurs to suffer as he was off seeking some pun, in a literal sense.

He looked up in the sky and saw that the sun was nowhere near its setting time. He had to press onward. His friends were counting on him. He got to his feet, feeling a slight sting but not as bad as before. He started to walk again, trying to reach the goal.

* * *

><p>Ali walked through a forest with tall trees. This forest, unlike the other forest where the Great Valley residents rested in, had trees with red trunks. She thought of it as spooky. The light source was mostly covered by the branches of these tall trees, and there were dark spots an eighth of a mile away from her in all directions of the forest. She still continued on the unmarked path she was on.<p>

She always had a fear of spooky forests ever since an incident with the herd. A few months after meeting and venturing with Littlefoot and his friends to save his grandpa, her herd had stumbled into a forest. She stood close by her mother, but she was fascinated by the forest. She was so lost in trace that she didn't notice the herd, along with her mother, was slowly advancing on the path as she stayed behind. She looked around and realized the herd was only about twenty meters away. She hurriedly made her way towards the herd, but she heard something in the bushes. She stood still, curious on why the bush, ten meters away, was shaking. Soon, two Velociraptors jumped out of the bush and spotted Ali. Frightened, Ali turned around and started running. She yelled out to her mother. As the Velociraptors closed in, salvation had arrived. Her mother's running towards her trembled the ground. The Velociraptors felt this and noticed the humongous longneck. Terrified, they turned the other way and disappeared into the forest. The nervous Ali was picked up by her mother and the two returned to the herd.

Ali continued to walk through the forest. It was quite quiet, which made it spookier. Maybe, she should've waited for Littlefoot. She would've been safe, but she would probably be stressed out by the fact Littlefoot was out in the Mysterious Beyond alone.

Ali then noticed a figure up ahead. Also, a new ray of light poked into the forest. Ali walked up to the figure and realized it was dead. It was a Deinonychus near a tree. She looked at it, curious on why it didn't smell to her. The dinosaur appeared to only have been dead for a short time. The forest provided shade from the violent rays of the sun that would've made it stunk.

Suddenly, something was heard. Ali looked around, backing away from the dead dinosaur. Soon, a Tyrannosaurus appeared out of the thick trees a dozen meters away from her. She trembled at the sight of the beast, even if it was a little under her height. It stood about twenty feet tall. Ali couldn't really determine the color of this sharptooth. One, she was terrified, and two, the shade of the forest confused her vision. The Tyrannosaurus looked down at the easier meal and began feasting on the dinosaur corpse. Ali watched as the mighty carnivore ate the smaller one in about six bites. She couldn't really move, because she was petrified. All she could do was cry out a mighty yell. The Tyrannosaurus, annoyed by her yelling, parted from his meal and looked at her with his red eyes. He lifted his head up and roared. Ali knew the end of her story…was soon over.


	20. Fear Reunites

"Littlefoot headed in this direction?" questioned Janet.

Janet, Rhett, Cera, Spike, Petrie, and Ducky were on the path of the forest again. They had only stayed for a couple of hours, resting, eating, and drinking. During that time, Cera and Petrie explained why they called Littlefoot over to the Great Valley. A drought had plagued the valley, and with only limited amounts of water, they would all die. If it wasn't for Littlefoot, they wouldn't have never found this place and lived. This news made Janet feel even guiltier for getting mad at him. If she would've demanded him to stay, she would've indivertibly gotten them killed. It was nice to see and confront them. Cera looked towards the south, the direction where the Great Valley was.

"He most likely went down to where the Great Valley was, but I believe he went a little towards the direction of the setting bright circle."

"Was that in English?" asked Rhett, giving Cera a blank face.

Janet sighed.

"She means southwest."

"Yeah, I guess. Anyways, he most likely going to go to the river of the Great Valley and follow it north."

"Alright," nodded Janet.

She faced Rhett and smiled.

"You got that?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"But Janet."

Janet faced Ducky.

"You haven't told us why you're out here, looking for Littlefoot. We only know that Rhett is here making sure Ali is safe. Yep, yep."

Janet glanced at Rhett and half-closed her eyes. He just lightly smiled. Janet sighed and faced Ducky.

"Well, I guess I owe you the truth. Everything about meeting Littlefoot and traveling to Green Valley is true, but I left out one huge part. Once Littlefoot and I got to Green Valley, we were…dating."

Cera's eyes widened.

"Wait. You and Littlefoot were…"

Janet nodded.

"Well, that's a shocker," said Spike. "So how come Ali got here first before you? I thought Littlefoot and Ali were together."

"Unless he's a two-timer," brought up Petrie.

Janet shook her head. She got the impression that Ali had kissed Littlefoot while they were here, but she wasn't too sure. She just gave a calm face.

"No, he's not that. In Green Valley, the longnecks gather for mating season. On the night before, Littlefoot and I had a fight. He needed to save his friends, you guys, from the drought of the Great Valley. I…don't know what came over me. I grew out of control and told him that I didn't want to see him, but I guess I was more heartbroken than scared. It felt like my past was replayed, and I still didn't know how to combat it. But now, I see what I did was wrong, and I shouldn't have shown a grudge towards him. He was just doing the right thing, and I'm glad he did. Now, I've met you, and I realize on why Littlefoot cares about you: you all are great friends."

Cera grinned.

"Well, where else was he going to find great friends?"

"But Janet, are you sure you can't stay longer?" asked Ducky.

"The more we rest, the more Littlefoot gets ahead. We would love to, but we can't."

"But-"

"We understand," said Spike. "Littlefoot only left a bright circle ago, so you're close."

Rhett nodded.

"It's good to see hearts have not changed," he said and turned around. "See ya guys."

Rhett started slowly walking towards the direction Littlefoot and Ali took. Ducky waved at him.

"Bye Rhett."

"Bye," the rest of the group, excluding Janet, said.

They looked from Rhett's tail to Janet's face.

"I hope things work out for you, Janet," said Cera.

"Me too. Well, I see you later."

Janet turned around and walked towards Rhett, catching up to him.

"Bye," Littlefoot's four friends chorused.

They watched the longnecks go down the path through the forest. Once the longnecks were about a block away, Cera sighed.

"Well, there's a love…um…three-wall thing for you."

"You mean a love three-sided shape," suggested Spike.

"Yeah," she said, "I think. Humph, I wish there was a name for it."

Petrie smiled.

"Me know. How about a triangle?"

Spike. Cera, and Ducky looked at him with weird and confused expressions.

"Why would you call it that?" asked Spike. "I mean, where did you get that from?"

"Well, me thinking that triplets mean three, so I used the first sound of it."

"But where do you get angle from?"

"Angle is…um…mmm… Me don't know, but it sounds right."

"But I think triside makes more sense because it's a thing with three sides."

Petrie paused to think.

"Me guess."

There was a long pause before Ducky spoke.

"But I get what Cera means. However, I see two love trisides put together."

"You mean a love square?" wondered Petrie.

Spike and Cera looked at him, annoyed by the fact he was giving shapes ridiculous names. Petrie nervously smiled.

"Me stop now."

* * *

><p>Ali just stared as the sharptooth approached her. Her fear had taken control of her body, and it told her to stand still. She trembled with every step that the Tyrannosaurus took. She gulped.<p>

Well, she thought, this is it. I never thought I would die alone… I won't ever hear Littlefoot's confession.

"Hey! Get away from her!"

The Tyrannosaurus stopped and looked back, only to get rammed down by a male longneck. The reddish-brown longneck now stood in a fighting stance in front of Ali. She sighed happily and in relief.

"Littlefoot," she breathed.

He glanced back.

"I told you to stay in the place."

Ali narrowed her eyes a bit.

"We'll talk later. We have a sharptooth in front of us."

Littlefoot looked forward and down at the sharptooth.

"Alright. I'm ready."

The sharptooth got to its feet and roared.

"Ow. That hurt, you know."

Ali and Littlefoot stood in shock. It seemed that this purple-scaled sharptooth could talk to herbivores.

"You talk?" wondered Littlefoot.

The sharptooth faced Littlefoot and Ali with its red, caring eyes.

"I heard you whisper Littlefoot," the sharptooth said to Ali and then faced Littlefoot. "Littlefoot, don't you remember me?"

Littlefoot looked at the sharptooth with a keener eye and realized who it was.

"Chomper?"

The twenty-foot Tyrannosaur smiled.

"You do remember."

Littlefoot looked back at the shaken Ali and smiled.

"It's okay. He won't bite."

"… But I saw him eating the dead dinosaur over there."

Chomper and Littlefoot turned to where the half-eaten Deinonychus. Chomper faced her.

"Well, I wasn't going to let it go to waste."

A surprised Littlefoot faced Chomper.

"But I thought you only ate bugs."

"Well, once you've grown, you have to eat meat. I couldn't really survive eating bugs for the rest of my life."

"But how?" Ali managed to ask. "Don't you hunt and kill?""

"I mostly eat dead things that are fresh. Sometimes, I do hunt, but only for other sharpteeth if I'm really hungry. In fact, I did have a fast-biter earlier. I've never eaten a leaf-eater as long as I lived."

Another roar was heard deep within the forest. It was a low-frequency roar. It made Ali shiver a bit as Chomper smiled.

"What was that?" Ali asked nervously.

"It's mating season, and it appears a female has entered my forest."

"Mating season for you-" began Littlefoot in a question.

"It isn't safe here. You take her and go. If this female comes and sees you, she'll hunt you down and kill you. They are more vicious than me."

Littlefoot nodded.

"Our time was short, Chomper."

"But I hope I'll see you again," said Chomper.

Littlefoot smiled.

"Me too, and I'm sorry for knocking you down."

Chomper grinned.

"Don't worry about it. Now, go."

Chomper walked back into the forest, slowly being shrouded by the trees. A low call was heard from him. Littlefoot beamed and looked back at Ali.

"Let's get out of here."

She nodded. Silently, the two exited the forest and walked to the spot where Littlefoot previously rested. It was going to be a long talk.


	21. The Talk

"Littlefoot, I-"

"What are you thinking, Ali? I told you to wait."

The two longnecks were sitting on the shore of a pond. It was the same pond Littlefoot had previously rested near before hearing Ali's screams of help. Trees scattered about them, leaving them exposed to any sharpteeth or leaf-eater. The clouds were blown slowly by the wing moving east. The sun beamed down on the longnecks from its three o'clock position.

"Well…I…"

Ali sighed and looked down into the water. She saw the reflection of the side of Littlefoot's angry face. She had seen his frustration before as a child, but his angered adult face was a more frightful tone. She faced him with guilt in her eyes.

"…I…um… I just couldn't."

"Couldn't what? Wait? You should've. I told you to wait."

"I couldn't. I'm sorry."

"Sorry? You're sorry! Ali, you could've died. Good thing it was Chomper because you could've been killed. Apparently, you didn't listen to me."

"But Littlefoot-"

"Ali, you have no excuse. You didn't respect my wishes. I was trying to protect you by telling you to not come out here. You didn't even consider my feelings."

Ali grunted. She wasn't going to get talked down, especially when it targeted her feelings were being targeted unintentionally. She narrowed her eyes at Littlefoot. This surprised the male somewhat.

"It's always about you. You're keeping me safe; you're telling me what I should and shouldn't do; you're not listening to my feelings. It is not only your feelings being threatened here, Littlefoot! Have you ever wondered how I feel? Can you imagine what I felt when you told me to stay behind as you went off to be a hero? I felt proud that you were doing it. I felt overjoyed you still cared about your friends. I felt right that you were doing something right. However, I felt scared that you will be alone. I felt nervous that everything was not going to work out right. I felt angry that I couldn't come. I felt frustrated about you treating me like some kind of weak dinosaur. Littlefoot, I'm here on account of my feelings. It has always been about you and what you wanted. Now, I'm here…for you."

Ali's eyes widened as she said the last two words. Littlefoot was surprised that Ali had explained to him in a frustrated form. She told her the truth, which stung Littlefoot a bit. Ali's face softened the more time Littlefoot didn't respond.

"Littlefoot…" she whispered.

Littlefoot gulped and opened his mouth.

"… I didn't know that was how you truly feel. I…I guess I was selfish in my own way of telling you to stay where it was safe. But you must understand: it was for your own good."

"I know it was for my own good, but I couldn't leave you out here by yourself. You are alone out here. Everyone needs some company. Otherwise, it would be a lonely world."

Littlefoot swayed his head.

"I guess you're right. I was just being selfish."

Littlefoot looked down at his reflection on the water. He took a good look of himself. It was true. Wanting Ali to be safe was more for his needs than her needs. He just shrugged off any say that came from her. He failed to acknowledge her stance of the situation and cared about himself and his wants. It reminded him of how Janet reacted when he left to help his friends. He looked back at Ali.

"I was so concerned about your safety that I didn't hear what you wanted."

"Littlefoot, I'm glad that you are concerned from my safety. That means you care about me. It just that…I wanted to show that I could help. You shouldn't be afraid, Littlefoot. I can protect you too, and I want to show you that."

Littlefoot heaved a little.

"I guess… I mean you're right."

He chuckled slightly.

"I guess I acted like…her. Janet."

Ali's face softened, and she smiled. Littlefoot smiled back. There was a moment of silence before Ali spoke.

"So Littlefoot? Should we pick up from where we left off?"

"What do you mean?" asked Littlefoot, a little nervous.

Ali moved her face closer to Littlefoot. He blushed a little bit. She slyly smiled.

"You know, don't you?"

Littlefoot gave a confused and nervous face.

"You told me that you were a single longneck," continued Ali. "Well, what do single male longnecks do when there's a single female in front of them, and they're in this position?"

Littlefoot was a little stunned by the question. Ali just had a smiling face. Not wanting to continue looking like a dork, just standing in silence, he answered.

"Well… They do activities."

"Like what?"

Littlefoot smacked his mouth with his lips nervously.

"Like…um…mmm…"

Ali slightly giggled.

"I'll help you… They go swimming. Just as friends."

Ali got up and walked into the water. Littlefoot's eyes just followed her. She got into the pond that covered her legs and smiled. She looked back at Littlefoot.

"What are you waiting for?"

Littlefoot felt that he had been toyed with. Why did females have that much power? And that power multiplied when they looked sexier. His heart had been beating really fast, and he thought she was going to get closer, but it was quite the opposite. It was most likely punishment for not having faith in her. Teasing was a form of torturing for males, and it served to get a point across. It worked in this case as an unsatisfied, slightly horny, Littlefoot walked into the water to join Ali.

* * *

><p>Janet and Rhett made it to the edge of a forest. They had entered the forest, but the outside world was only ten feet away from them. The dark night made it difficult to see into the forest. The moonlight was covered by the branches of trees that constantly swayed back and forth due to the wind. Rhett sat down and looked up at Janet.<p>

"This is a good spot to rest."

Janet looked around nervously. She looked back at Rhett.

"You have no experience, do you?"

Rhett raised an eye in question.

"What do you mean?"

"One of the rules of survival is to never sleep in dark, spooky forests."

"Why? Are you scared?"

Janet huffed.

"Hardly."

"Then?"

"Rhett, look around you. What can you see?"

Rhett looked around.

"Well, besides you and a few trees, nothing really."

"Exactly. We can't see any sharpteeth if they appear."

"But they can't see us. If they can't see us, we're safe."

Janet half-closed her eyes.

"Sharpteeth hunt with their sniffers more than their eyes."

Rhett shrugged.

"Relax, Janet. Nothing bad will happen."

Janet huffed. She sat down next to Rhett and faced him.

"But if we die, I'm going to kill you."

With that, Janet rested her head on the ground and went to sleep. Rhett was confused on what she meant, not getting the saying.

"If I die, then how do I die again? Probably she's delusional from eating that green food. It's either that, or she is just antsy that she hasn't gotten Littlefoot's who-who-dilly in her cha-cha."

Janet opened her eyes slightly.

"What was that?" came her demanding voice.

Rhett panicked.

"Nothing."

Rhett lowered his head to the floor and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the uncomfortable presence of Janet.


	22. The Problem

The sun was up high in the morning sky. The weather was partly cloudy, but due to the humidity, it was most likely going to rain in about four hours. A slightly cold wind blew from the south. The two longnecks, Ali and Littlefoot, continued to walk along slightly grassy plains. Littlefoot led the way, kind of annoyed. Ali knew she was the cause of it.

"Littlefoot, can you please stop being annoyed with it? I said I was sorry."

"But you just don't toy with a guy like that. He may really think that you want to…"

"But Littlefoot, c'mon. We just found each other. Besides, I was still just a little upset with the whole trusting thing and you leaving me behind."

Littlefoot sighed. He faced her as he continued to walk.

"I'll say I desired it, but if you're going to say stuff like that, it is like an entry way."

Ali blushed.

"Well, I'm sorry. I mean, I never meant it to go in that direction."

Littlefoot looked forward. They walked in a moment of silence.

"And you should know that it's mating season too, and-"

"Littlefoot, can you drop it? I said I was sorry. It was hard for me too…being the season and all. Besides, why would we do it when we're busy with something else?"

Littlefoot flinched, blushing a bit. Ali couldn't see, but she could tell Littlefoot was blushing. She half-closed her eyes.

"A little stiff, aren't we?"

Littlefoot's blush deepened. Ali sighed.

"I know that it's the season and all, but we should take care of getting the river flowing into the Great Valley. Besides, I would rather do it somewhere else."

Littlefoot raised an eye and faced Ali.

"Rather do it somewhere else? Like where?"

Ali looked down, and her face reddened.

"Pretend you didn't hear that."

Littlefoot figured not to go deeper into the subject and shrugged. He faced forward. Ali looked up.

"You know, it would be kind of weird anyways if we did it. We haven't even had our first kiss."

Littlefoot glanced back at Ali and then quickly looked forward. He smirked a little.

"Yeah, I guess…"

There was a minute of silence between the two longnecks. They continued to walk across the plains. As they walked, the wind was slowly dying down. It was now a wind that struggled to move leaves. Soon, the grass-like spots on the plains appeared less and covered less area. Even though the wind had slowed, a shiver crept down along Ali's spine. She stopped. Littlefoot sensed that she stopped and stopped as well. He faced Ali.

"What is it Ali?"

"Littlefoot, don't you smell that?"

Littlefoot whiffed the air. The rotten smell got to him.

"That's so putrid."

"I know, but it's good."

"What do you mean?"

Ali slowly walked towards Littlefoot.

"That smell comes from creatures in the water that die on land. This means…"

She passed Littlefoot and walked another twentieth of a mile. Littlefoot just followed her. Ali soon stopped and smiled. She looked at Littlefoot, who stood to her right, amazed at what he saw.

"We're close."

Before them was a great waterway that was dried up. The odor of a few fish radiated from the riverbed. Littlefoot and Ali saw the bones and flesh of these weird creatures. Littlefoot had been under the water before in a sea when he aided Mo home, but this was nothing like the beauty of sea life. Carnivorous and herbivorous fish scattered across the riverbed, having flesh or being fleshless. Littlefoot lowered his head to take a closer look, enduring the stench of fish.

"I think this is the waterway that leads to the Great Valley," commented Ali. "What do you say, Littlefoot?"

Littlefoot lifted his head towards Ali, keeping his eyes focused on the dried river.

"I guess. I mean it seems right. The waterway that enters into the valley comes from where the sun sets, and this one appears to be coming from that direction. Yep. I say it's this one."

Ali smiled.

"Well, that's good. We're close on finding out what happened."

Littlefoot nodded.

"We should just follow it westward."

"Alright. Let's go."

The two longnecks changed direction and started traveling along the river.

* * *

><p>A low growl awoke Janet. She quickly lifted her head and looked around. They had overslept. The morning sun was soon going to reach its highest point in the sky. She got to her feet and heard the growl again. She looked down at the sleeping Rhett.<p>

"Rhett, wake up. A sharptooth is near us."

Rhett budged a little, but he didn't open his eyes. Janet began to worry.

"Rhett, please."

She didn't really want to scream, because the sharptooth would attack since they would show that they had noticed it. Janet lowered her head towards Rhett and called his name again.

"Rhett."

She heard the growl again, but it was louder now. In fact, it was next to her. She half-closed her eyes and sighed. It seemed that sleep became first before hunger.

"Rhett!"

Rhett opened his eyes and smiled. He blinked a few times to clear his vision. He saw Janet and lifted his head up. He let out a great yawn.

"Boy, I slept good."

He focused his eyes on Janet.

"Hey, Janet… Woah, you seemed startled."

"Yeah. I heard a growl, and I thought it was a sharptooth."

Rhett looked around nervously.

"Are you telling me a sharptooth is hunting us? We're in deep trouble now."

"Rhett."

"I should've never left Green Valley."

"Rhett."

"I would be relaxing next to that pond under the sun..."

"Rhett."

"...satisfied that I mated with all the females in the valley."

"Rhett!"

Rhett turned towards Janet, annoyed that she shouted at him.

"Dammit, Janet. Keep your voice down. There's a sharptooth near us."

"There's no sharptooth."

"… But you said there was a growl."

"Well, yes, but I think it's your belly."

Soon, the low growl was heard by the both of them. Rhett nervously smiled.

"Oh, yeah. I guess it was me."

Janet smiled.

"Well, let's get out of this forest and see if there is any food out of here."

"Agreed."

The two longnecks started their walk through the forest.

* * *

><p>Littlefoot and Ali walked along the river for only an hour until they heard something. It sounded like rushing water. Happily, the two longnecks jogged towards the sound. The sound got louder the closer they got to it. Soon, they reached the base of a mountain. It appeared that a pile of big rocks created a wall that redirected from the water from its usual path. A bit of it was turning south from the wall, and a bit of it was turning north from the wall. Most of the water just flowing back upward, creating a river behind the rock wall two and a half feet taller than its original height from the riverbed.<p>

"We're here," Littlefoot breathed.

"Yeah, but how do we get it too flow the right way?" asked Ali.

Littlefoot smiled.

"Don't worry. I have an idea."


	23. His Problem

The sun beamed down on the river. The water was pushed back by rocks that most likely fell due to an earthquake. Two longnecks stood at the bed of the dried river. They faced the pile of rocks that either diverged or blocked the water. Littlefoot looked at the rocks.

"If we just let a few rocks loose, the backed up water should push the other rocks out of its way."

Ali looked at Littlefoot.

"How do you suggest we do that?"

Littlefoot thought about it. He looked around and sighed.

"Well, there seems to be no logs that can help us."

He paused to ponder and hatched up the best idea he could do with limited resources.

"Well, we can clear some rocks."

Ali looked at him if he was crazy.

"What! Littlefoot, do you know how dangerous that could be? The water can push away the rocks while we're still down here. We'll get swept away by the fast waters."

"I know it's dangerous, but we need to do it."

"I'm not doing it. You shouldn't either. We should find a log or something."

"But there's nothing here. We have to do it."

Al sighed.

"Fine, but if something goes wrong…"

"Relax. What can go wrong?"

Littlefoot walked up to the stacked boulders. Ali called back to him.

"Littlefoot, I don't know if it's a good idea."

"Trust me."

Ali stood her ground as Littlefoot started to move one of the looser boulders. Water soon slowly seeped out through the cracks, creating a miniature, miniature waterfall. This only lasted a few seconds though. The applying force of the water was much greater than the pile of rocks. Soon, water rushed out down the path of the dried river. It wasn't the depth of the water that brought the longnecks to their knees; it was the surprise and unexpected force. For a few moments, they stayed submerged in the water. Finally, they lifted their heads above the water as for most of their body was under the surface of the water. After a minute, the river calmed down. The two longnecks stood to their feet. Littlefoot slowly looked back to see an irritated Ali glaring at him. He nervously smiled.

"Well…um…that was easy."

There was a moment of silence. Littlefoot felt awkward by this.

"Let's just get out of the river."

As they walked out of the river, Ali began to talk.

"I told you."

Littlefoot turned towards her.

"Uh, I know, but…"

"Why didn't you listen? That could have swept us away."

"I kind of doubt that. We weigh like several tons each."

"… Are you saying I'm fat?"

"What? No! Of course not!"

"Good," replied a slightly calmed Ali, "but you should've listened to me."

Littlefoot sighed.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to get it over with. Look, we found the problem and fixed it. Most importantly, we survived."

"No, we were just lucky."

Littlefoot thought about the difference of survival and being lucky.

"I'm pretty sure they're the same thing."

Ali thought about it also.

"Well, with this short journey, pretty much."

As he saw Al calm down, he faced the running water.

"Look. The water is flowing down through the river path. It will reach the Great Valley soon."

Ali looked at the river. She smiled and faced Littlefoot.

"You know what? Despite your mistake of knocking down that loose rock when we stood directly in front of the water's boulder wall, you did good."

Littlefoot half-closed his eyes.

"You brought water back to the communities who needed it," Ali continued. "You're a hero."

Littlefoot's face lightened. Ali looked at Littlefoot.

"A hero?" he wondered. "Hm…"

"You saved several, if not, hundreds of dinosaur lives."

"Wow. I'm like the Lone Dinosaur."

Ali smiled.

"Well, you're not alone. I'm with you."

Littlefoot smiled.

"True, but what if I did become the Lone Dinosaur?"

Ali narrowed her eyes slightly.

"You better not. What about me?"

"Well, I can just visit you from time to time, while I help other dinosaur herds."

Littlefoot chuckled slightly. He soon noticed the stern look on Ali. He slowly stopped his chuckling.

"It was just a joke."

"I don't find it very humorous."

Littlefoot sighed and looked up at the sky. The sun was still high up. If they starting walking back, they would probably be back at the pond by sunset. He faced Ali.

"Well, should we start walking?"

"Not yet, Littlefoot. Let me get a drink."

Littlefoot watched as Ali walked to the bank of the river, which was only three steps away from where she stood. She lowered her head and started to drink. Littlefoot watched Ali drink out of the water. After two gulps, Ali felt that she was being stared. She looked back and saw Littlefoot looking at her. She slightly blushed.

"Um, Littlefoot, what is it?"

Littlefoot didn't respond.

"Littlefoot?"

Littlefoot heard her the second time around and shook her head. He faced her.

"Huh? What?"

Ali half-closed her eyes in irritancy.

"Were you looking at my tail?"

"No… Well, not entirely."

Ali lifted her head up and turned towards Littlefoot.

"Pervert."

It was silent for a few seconds.

"It's mating season."

"You stood there for a few seconds and only came up with that lame of an excuse?"

"… It's the best I could come up with. I just… I just can't control my ranging…um…urges."

"Just keep it to yourself for now."

There was another long pause.

"But Littlefoot? May I ask you something? Do you have any feelings for me?"

"Of course I do."

"Well, I mean like much more."

"Once again, I do. Ali, when I was in the Great Valley, my mind would occasionally wander off towards you. During the adulthood years, I always hoped you would return one day. The day you did come back, I was hoping that you would stay with me, but you never came. After my grandparents died, I knew I had to find someone. That's what drove me to leave the Great Valley. My mind told me to find a mate…but my heart still yearned for you."

Ali stiffened a bit. Littlefoot's heart wanted her?

"But then Janet appeared in my life, and we had some many similarities. So many likes and dislikes? Though it had been only a couple of days, we had a strong connection. It was because of that, we got together."

There was a couple of seconds of silence. Ali took two steps towards Littlefoot.

"Littlefoot, do you still have feelings for her?"

"Um, a little."

"But what about me? I thought you said my heart yearned for me?"

"My time together with Janet will always be in my head, but they will just be memories of the past. What I've learned as I grew was that you shouldn't live in the past. You have to keep moving forward."

Ali smiled. She got closer to Littlefoot.

"Then what does your heart say you should do?"

"Opinions of it now were the same to when I lived in the Great Valley. Ali, I wanted to tell you for the longest time. Janet is a longneck from the past, but I envision a future with you. Ali, I want-"

"Littlefoot, you don't have to say it. Show me."

Littlefoot blushed. Ali leaned her head towards Littlefoot. Her mouth planted on his mouth as they exchanged in a kiss. Littlefoot's eyes widened for a couple of seconds, shocked at what happened. In her mind, Ali hoped he would return it. After a short moment, he did. He pushed her head back a little as they continued their passionate kiss.

"Littlefoot!"

Ali and Littlefoot quickly parted from the kiss in surprise and fear. They looked towards the west to see two longnecks only standing a few yards away from them. Littlefoot gulped as he knew the two. It seemed that Rhett and Janet had followed him too. What was this? Follow the Littlefoot?

"Janet," he breathed.

Though he had saved hundreds of lives and brought water back to the Great Valley, his true problem had just unfolded.


	24. Ali or Janet?

The afternoon sun was to be gone in two hours. The wind blew across the ground-dried tundra, either created by the nature of the air or the nearby rushing water. Littlefoot stood stiff. He had successfully fixed the problem. Water should be flowing back into the Great Valley, and life would once again to flourish. Now, he faced a new problem at hand. It was his ex-girlfriend versus his somewhat current girlfriend. He faced Janet.

"Janet? How did you get here?"

"I followed you… Well, kind of. I was just going to the Great Valley, because I knew you would be there. I…had a feeling you would be…but then we bonked into your friends. They pointed us in this direction, and we hoped that we would bonk into you."

"Rhett," called Ali. "You came too?"

Rhett nodded.

"Yeah," he said proudly. "Ali, I was worried about you."

Ali smiled.

"Well, thanks Rhett."

Rhett smiled back, but he soon frowned slightly.

"But why did you venture out here alone?"

Ali's smiled dropped slightly. She blushed a little bit.

"Well, I wanted to make sure he was safe."

She glanced back towards Littlefoot.

"I was worried. He's my friend…probably even-"

"Ali, I know why you're out here," said Rhett with a little disappointment in his voice. "But to be honest, you could've gotten yourself killed. The dangers of the Mysterious Beyond show no mercy. I was worried."

Ali smiled.

"Thanks again, Rhett."

Rhett grinned.

"Ali, I care about you and all, but as I said, I know why you're out here."

Janet looked at Littlefoot and smiled.

"And Littlefoot, I wanted to apologize. It was wrong of me to yell at you. You were just helping your friends. I should've supported you. It was just that…well, you know about my past. It was just reliving everything. It was a horrible feeling. I was angry on the outside, but fear overtook me in the inside. It was still improper for me to lash at you and-"

"Janet," Littlefoot said calmly. "I understand. You don't have to explain anything. I also didn't take into consideration of your feelings. You told me about the past, and I should've known."

"Littlefoot, you did the right thing. We met the dinosaurs from the Great Valley. The ones that told us in which direction you two went. If it wasn't for you, they would've been dead. There's no need to apologize for something that was my personal fault. You told me one time to let go of the past. I guess I never truly did until I learned that I was doing the same mistake…again."

Janet sighed and looked down before saying the word 'again'. Littlefoot looked at her and took a couple of steps towards her. She looked up

"Don't worry about that. I know it's hard to let go of the past. I…I still remember about my mother… I had to let go of it being my fault."

Littlefoot chuckled and sighed.

"Yeah," he said faintly, shortly remembering about the past.

Janet looked up and saw Littlefoot's smiling face. She smiled.

"You know. This is not the only reason why I walked out here. I…I wanted to get back together."

Littlefoot was a little stricken back at this. If he could rub his neck, he would. Janet was curious on his strange expression.

"Littlefoot?" she wondered, slowly dropping her smile.

"Janet, it's great that you're out here, but…um… How do I explain this?"

Janet glanced from Littlefoot to Ali. She narrowed her eyes at Ali.

"So Ali, was that your whole plan?"

Littlefoot looked over at Ali.

"But you guys broke up."

Janet looked down for a moment before rising up her head again.

"I know, and I'm sorry about that. I was just hoping. Littlefoot, I want your babies."

Littlefoot blushed. Ali huffed and walked up to Janet.

"What's your problem? Forget about it, Janet. I…we started a relationship."

Janet looked over from Ali to Littlefoot. She half-closed her eyes.

"Well, it didn't take you that long," said Janet, kind of annoyed.

"Janet, it's not like that."

"Yes, it is. Littlefoot, after you left, I was devastated. I didn't know how to react. I went to the mating ritual to find a mate. I just hoped to find someone so I could forget. I did, but Ali came up to me and asked me what happened to you. After a few blows, she left. Her speech made me feel uncomfortable for the night, and I was thinking about the time I spent with you. I left the guy I was with and went to sleep. That's when I realized that I still love you."

Littlefoot's jaw dropped. Janet still loved him? He looked from her to Ali and back at Janet. He gulped.

"Uh…"

Ali huffed.

"What? Janet, why are doing this?"

"Ali, didn't you do the same thing? As soon as you heard Littlefoot and I broke up, you went after him. Were you just waiting for the opportunity to strike?"

"It's not that, Janet," said Ali unsurely.

There was a pause before she continued.

"I have always wanted to be with Littlefoot. When he disappeared, I was just worried."

"Yeah, you were, but then you come here and share a kiss with him," Janet said and then snorted. "Yeah, it's not like that."

Damn, thought Littlefoot, she saw that.

"Janet, the past is the past. Get over it. You're making a mistake again."

Janet looked down, saddened. She then looked back at Ali and narrowed her eyes.

"Shut up, Ali. That's personal. I know of that, but you shouldn't snoop around other dinosaurs' business. I mean, that's what you basically did, but you shouldn't do that. I don't know what I would call it, but other dinosaurs would call it a nosy wench."

Ali huffed.

"Don't call me a wench, you courtesan!"

Janet was stricken back by the word, along with the two males. Rhett and Littlefoot faced each other, and Janet just blinked in confusion.

"A what?"

Ali shook her head.

"You heard me."

"Whatever," shrugged off Janet.

Ali huffed.

"It's not whatever. You can't shrug it off that easy."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does!"

Rage built inside Ali, and the unexpected happened. Ali bashed her head against Janet's head. Janet moved back a bit, stricken by the sting of pain. She shook her head and sneered at Ali.

"Now, it's on."

Janet turned around and quickly whipped her tail at Ali. Ali got up on her two hind legs to avoid it, but the tail bruised her risen left leg. Ali closed her eyes momentarily as the pain appeared then disappeared rapidly. She got on all fours, shaking the nearby ground slightly. Ali then charged at Janet and rammed her down. Janet landed on one of her sides. From the ground, Janet looked up and saw that Ali got on her hind legs again. Quickly using her tail, she wrapped it around Ali's right hind leg and pulled it. Her strength caused Ali to lose balance and fall on her back. Ali then rolled to her side as Janet got to her feet. Ali got to her feet to only have her head bash against Janet's head. The force caused both of them to grow dizzy. Ali fell to the floor as Janet tried to keep her balance.

Littlefoot watched the fight evolve from when it started. There was a part inside of him that wanted to stop the fight, but at the same time, he wanted to see the two females fight. Rhett walked up to Littlefoot and stood by his side. He leaned his head closer to Littlefoot, still concentrating on the fight and whispered to Littlefoot.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Listen, Littlefoot. I had always dreamt of this day. Too bad they aren't fighting over me. You're one lucky dinosaur."

Littlefoot faced Rhett and slightly narrowed his eyes.

"Lucky? Rhett, I'm left with the most difficult decision of my life."

"I know, but… Heck, this is entertaining."

Littlefoot half-closed his eyes.

"You would think of it that way."

Rhett slightly chuckled.

"You know me too well."

Littlefoot gave a stern face at Rhett. Rhett quickly saw this and stopped his awkward chuckling. Littlefoot sighed. He took a step forward.

"I need to do something about it. I have to."

Littlefoot walked up to the two fighting females.

"Guys. Guys?"

Janet and Ali still went at it, not hearing Littlefoot. Now, their tails were used as swords, crashing against each other. Littlefoot huffed.

"Janet? Ali?"

The two practiced their fancy feet-work as their tails whipped around the air. Soon, Ali's tail accidentally hit Littlefoot's head. It wasn't that hard of a hit, but it was still pretty painful. Littlefoot shook his head and grinded his teeth against each other. He finally snapped.

"Ali! Janet! Stop it!"

Terrified by his voice, Janet and Ali quickly stopped. After being pushed down by Ali, Janet rose to her feet and faced Littlefoot. Ali looked at Littlefoot.

"Let me speak. Janet, it's great that you understand. I'm happy for you. Ali, I thank you for accompanying me on this quest."

Littlefoot sighed before he continued.

"But I have to pick one."

Janet's hazel eyes and Ali's blue eyes widened. Littlefoot cleared his voice.

"I know it's hard, but I came up with a decision. I love you both…but I can't be with either of you."


	25. Torn

Faces of shock were written all over the three faces of the three longnecks. What Littlefoot declared was something unexpected. Instead of picking one of the two females, he found a third choice. The wind slightly picked up as the sun began to set from its highest position in the sky. The cracked ground below them was soon going to have a permanent indention due to the four longnecks just standing still, not saying a word after Littlefoot's decision. Finally, Rhett found the words to speak. He half-closed his eyes.

"Well, that was a waste of a walk. I mean if you're not going to choose either, what's the point of being here? What is your logic, Littlefoot?"

He faced Rhett.

"Logic? My reasoning is the most logical one. It's more of a mental conflict than a physical one."

"Then this should be interesting," Rhett slightly smirked, annoyed that Littlefoot didn't choose either.

He faced Ali and then looked at Janet.

"Both of you. I like you; really, really like you, but for that's same reason, I can't be with either one of you."

He faced Janet.

"Janet, you and I are very similar. Our earlier lives are those that we don't want to repeat. With you, I can relate to. Though we argue, it means that we don't agree on certain things, which is fine with me. It shows how that we can be similar, yet we are different. After that fight, I viewed you as selfish, but you stand before me as more selfless than before."

Janet smiled. Littlefoot smiled back and turned towards Ali.

"Ali, we've known each other since we were kids. We quickly became friends, and you helped me with my grandpa. During that time, the Ali I first met and the Ali that soon left were totally different. You threw all separation aside to work together with my friends to rescue me. After that time, we did meet again, and I met Rhett in the process. Though visits soon ceased, our friendship was always there. When we did meet again in Green Valley, I was overwhelmed to see a friend from long ago. You've helped me, and during this journey, through your concern, the problem was fixed, and lives can now flourish."

Ali smiled. The smiling Littlefoot then turned so that he faced both of them.

"But it is due to those reasons I feel I can't be with either of you. I like you both, but I have to pick one. If I choose one, the other one will be out in the cold."

There was a moment of silence as the three longnecks processed what Littlefoot said. Rhett looked over at Littlefoot.

"But Littlefoot. Uh… Um…"

Littlefoot glanced at Rhett,

"I know what I'm doing."

"No, you don't. You have two females-"

"Rhett, shut it before you say the wrong thing. As I said, I know what I'm doing."

Rhett stared into Littlefoot's eyes and sighed. He took a step back to tell Littlefoot he wasn't going to argue anymore with his decision. Littlefoot looked back at the females. He sighed.

"I'm sorry."

He turned around and started walking into the plains they had crossed to get to the river. Rhett watched him as he became a size of an eight-foot longneck off in the distance. He turned around and looked at the two females. Ali was looking down at the ground as tears dropped from her eyes. Janet was looking to where Littlefoot was, like if she was yearning for him to return. Janet sighed.

"Well, I guess we should start walking back to Green Valley."

Ali nodded.

"Okay,"

The three longnecks started their journey back home, in a distinctly different direction from Littlefoot. All of them were in shock of what Littlefoot had said, two of them felt denied, and one still wished Littlefoot had made an actual decision.

* * *

><p>Cera was resting near the shores of the vast lake, soaking the rays of the sun. She smiled as if she had not a care in the world. Literally, she didn't. Ducky, who had swum across the lake, got out of the lake and approached Cera.<p>

"Hi Cera."

Cera lazily opened her right eye. She noticed Ducky waving at her. She then closed her eye.

"Ducky, can't you see I'm sleeping?"

"But it's midday."

"I'm just catching up on my sleep."

"Oh, but Cera, I needed to ask you something."

Cera opened her eyes.

"Ugh… Fine."

Cera got to her feet and stretched out her back. She yawned.

"Alright. What do you want to ask?"

"About Littlefoot? I wonder if he found the problem."

Cera half-closed her eyes.

"Seriously? You woke me up for that?"

"But I'm just worried about him. And then Ali, Rhett, and Janet followed him. I wonder if there are together now…or did something really, really bad happen?"

Cera laid down on the ground like how she previously was. She closed her eyes.

"He's fine."

"But what about Ali, Janet, and Rhett?"

"They're fine."

"Did they get-"

Cera opened her right eye in irritancy.

"They're fine, Ducky. If you worry about them, the more trouble they might get in. Littlefoot can easily handle one sharptooth."

Ducky smiled.

"Yeah, you're right Cera."

Cera closed her eye.

"Good. Now let me go to sleep."

Ducky watched as Cera went to sleep. She thought about what Cera had said. Cera seemed to be right. They would all be alright. If one worried about others, then they would probably be in trouble. It was kind of true when they were younger. Their parents would always worry about them when they went adventuring. Ducky figured that her longneck friends were fine, with Cera's words comforting her. She smiled and jumped back into the water to continue her swim.

* * *

><p>Littlefoot walked in solitude. He was now in the area were the small pond was. Well, small to him. It was the same pond he and Ali shared a relaxing swim a few nights ago. The tops of a few trees around him swayed back and forth due to the light breeze. He walked to the pond that was only several meters away. He looked down and lowered his head to take a drink. He stopped before taking a drink. He was facing the water a meter below him. He saw his face, but it expressed something different than what he had on his face. His reflection seemed very depressed compared to the settled face he had on right on. He stared at his reflection that soon changed.<p>

Soon, his image faded away. He wondered why, but it soon was replaced by a familiar face. His eyes widened in astonishment. A bluish gray female longneck faced him with brown eyes. She smiled at Littlefoot.

"Mother?"

The image soon slowly faded away, and it was replaced by a new one. A shadowy figure of a longneck was shown to Littlefoot. The water reflection faced Littlefoot and smiled. He couldn't tell the color of her scales though. Soon, its eyes opened. A pair of blue eyes blinked at Littlefoot three times before the image soon faded away. The pond just reflected back his surprised face. Littlefoot stood baffled.

"What just happened?"

He stared hard at the water, but only the image of intense staring was mirrored back at him. Littlefoot blinked twice and decided to shrug it off for the time being. He proceeded into taking a drink. The water was probably the most satisfying feeling after the day of walking away from the two who loved him; the two he loved back.

* * *

><p>The stars and the full moon blanketed the sky. Three longnecks, scattered but together, were sleeping. Well, two were sleeping smoothing. One was barely waking up from an uncomfortable rest. It wasn't the environment that caused her to wake up. It was her thoughts. She opened her eyes and sighed in depression.<p>

"Picking neither of us," she commented. "I understand his reasoning, but why did he have to love with both of us."

She looked over at the female who Littlefoot had also claimed to love. Wait. Claimed to love? During his whole speech, he never acclaimed to them who was he in loved with. You could love friends and family and not be in love with them.

With this in mind, she rose to her feet and changed the direction they were taking back to Green Valley, which was north, into the direction she thought he went.


	26. Split

The sun arose from beneath the horizon. The bright circle was high in the sky, giving its light blue color. The land before the sun varied across the planet, but in one particular part, a few trees decorated the plains. Across the plains, there were some green patches, but most of the plains were tan with dirt. A pond was about in the center of these few scattered thin trees. The wind was not blowing, but the temperature was adequate for survival.

A longneck walked across the plains. The longneck was alone. After separating from a small group of longnecks, this longneck walked across the plains, returning to its home. The problem had been solved, for it was a witness to it. It knew of the problem, but it was not the one who saved it. It was all due to the longneck that was of the Great Valley. From what he told, he had to go back to the Great Valley. The quest was hard and short, but during this quest, it knew why the brown longneck with reddish-brown eyes did it. The male longneck named Littlefoot was responsible for wanting to save his friends and those considered family.

Littlefoot was her reason why she was out here. She worried about him. He had just walked off during a special night. Instead of mating and starting a family, he decided to save his friends. Littlefoot had explained that his grandparents had died, and he was out here to find a mate and start a family. Though through this, he valued the survival of his childhood friendships a little more than starting a family.

Probably when he did start a family, he would settle down and make them the top of his priority list. And his mate would be along the same lines among the kids. Probably a little higher, but being as important as his kids would be fine. He would be pictured as a fine father. His leadership, his personality, his determination, his reasoning, and his discipline would all be traits that would make him a great father…and lover.

She walked across the plains. She was out here for him, and she will continue to be out here looking for him, even if he claimed he didn't want to be with either one of them.

* * *

><p>Rhett opened his eyes after a long, blissful sleep. The actions witnessed leading to the decision of Littlefoot deciding to take neither one was nerve-racking. He didn't expect it to affect him…but it did. Now, here he was, with two females. Probably it wasn't the perfect time to woe them over, but it was a good time to act ultra-nice to them. If he was lucky, he could possibly get one. He had missed mating night because of Ali. The least he deserved was a kiss for skipping mating night and going on this quest.<p>

He lifted his head up from the ground and yawned. He blinked a couple of times to clear his vision. Once he did, he looked around in astonishment. To make sure, he circled around to see the area around him, as if he was chasing his tail. He stopped and looked over at the female resting a few meters away from him. He walked over to her and nudged his head against her.

"Hey. Wake up."

The female stirred a little before opening one eye. She noticed Rhett.

"Morning."

"Ali's missing."

Janet opened both her hazel eyes and stood up.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, I can't spot her anywhere."

Janet looked around.

"Maybe she's just walking around."

"If she's doing that, she's walking to him."

Janet already knew Ali would pull a stunt like this. She should've kept watch over her. She could've stopped her. She would've brought her back, convincing her Littlefoot made up his mind. But she did not. She sighed.

"Well, it will be no surprise. She loves him, Rhett."

Rhett thought about it.

"But don't you love him?"

"I do, but one thing Ali has that I don't is that she is in love with him."

Rhett stood confused. Janet noticed this, so she explained.

"Loving someone and being in love with someone are two totally different things. Like you can love your mother, but you are not in love with her. In love is being with someone very special with you."

"But my mother was very special to me."

"Mm… Probably I explained it wrong. Well, not the love part. Being in love means you care about the other dinosaur so much that you would protect her, make her feel better, snuggle with her, kiss her…and start a family with her."

"Oh, I get it. That makes sense. But weren't you in love with Littlefoot? I mean you were with him in that kind of sense."

"I grew to love him, and I wanted to grow in love with him. It was working. My heart yearned for him, and I felt his love coming down on me. That slowly changed when Ali came into the picture. I thought Littlefoot was in love with me, but seeing Ali made our love a little weak. It was then I realized that it was the fact that Littlefoot still had deep feelings for her. Feelings that would never go away."

Rhett thought a little.

"But if you knew all this, why did we come out here?"

Janet sighed.

"I thought I could change it, but I was wrong. Littlefoot still had deep feelings for her. That was being in-love. He can claim to deny it, but I think he still does. And Ali. Though she was trying to steal Littlefoot away from me, I can understand. She is in love with him."

There was a pause for a few seconds before Rhett spoke.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"You mean if I should go to Littlefoot?"

Rhett nodded. Janet looked in the direction where she last saw Littlefoot headed. She smiled and slightly shook her head.

"No. I can't be the voice of Littlefoot's heart. Though he hides it, I know he is in love with Ali. There is always room in his heart for me and the times we shared, but he'll view this as his past life and me as a good friend. Besides, I'm starting to like someone a bit more."

Rhett smiled.

"There was this longneck I met in Green Valley. Hopefully, he's still single."

Rhett slightly groaned.

"Shall we mosey along to Green Valley?"

"But what about-"

"Littlefoot will take care of her. I promise."

Rhett thought about it and knew she was right. Littlefoot would see to it Ali was safe. He noticed Janet had taken the lead and followed her back home to Green Valley.

* * *

><p>Littlefoot entered the forest he had met Chomper in. The forest was as dangerous as it was before. When he first entered, he noticed the skeletons of Deinonychuses that had attacked him. According to Chomper, the purple tyrannosaur with red eyes had eaten the flesh off of them. Though the thought of it disturbed Littlefoot, Chomper was right. He couldn't only survive on bugs. He needed meat. The only good thing about this was that it was sharpteeth meat.<p>

Littlefoot continued to walk through the forest. The tall trees partly shaded the ground, making it much cooler. The ground itself was made of dirt with some grassy patches around it. A few trees surrounding the ground had moss on them. Littlefoot kept to his thoughts as he walked.

That image of the longneck with blue eyes… It could be any girl, but in my heart, I know it's Ali. Heh, I guess I want her here with me. I do have feelings for Janet, but I can't help to feel something much more with Ali. It is like…she's the only one for me. I can't explain it. Probably this is what being truly in love really means. …When I talked to them both about not wanting either of them, that was a lie, but I couldn't offend them. I just couldn't bring tears the same time I brought joy. That's messed up in my taste. Seriously, who would do that? And Rhett being there, it would make it worse. Only with him, it felt as if the whole dinosaur world was watching me. If they ever do that in the future, where they make love into a game for others' amusement, shame on them. Love shouldn't be a play-thing. Love is a special feeling. One that shouldn't go away. And being in love is more powerful than that special feeling.

As Littlefoot marched on, he soon noticed something plumped against a tree. He grew in shock and disgust. A sharptooth, with dried blood on its face and a half-eaten torso, rested against the tree. Littlefoot wouldn't have been so disgusted if he didn't know the sharptooth. The baby that Littlefoot watched hatch was now dead and partly eaten.

"Chomper," he breathed.

Soon, the longneck heard footsteps coming behind him. The scent of Chomper's corpse had attracted two sharpteeth. Both happened to be female judging by how ferocious they acted. Littlefoot gulped, but he toughened up. He glanced back at Chomper without turning his head and faced his carnivorous foes. He growled.

"If you want Chomper, you have to get passed me."

The Tyrannosaurs roared, like if they agreed. Another battle for Littlefoot was about to unfold.


	27. The Love Bond

Rhett and Janet continued to walk north. Their goal was to reach Green Valley in five days. They were five and a half days away. As they walked across a green savanna, a thought came to Janet that shook her a little.

"Uh, Rhett?"

Rhett faced her as they pressed on.

"Yep?"

"Do you get the feeling that Littlefoot is in danger?"

"Not really. You probably do because you hung out with him."

"Dated," corrected Janet.

"Right. You know him better than me, and you probably have a sixth sense for him."

"But still-"

"And besides, Ali is with him. Heh. You sure worry about a longneck that you aren't chasing after."

"Yeah, but I can't really throw away that time spent. I worry for him as a friend."

"Janet, as I said, Ali is going his way. You know Ali wouldn't let anything happen to Littlefoot. He should be fine."

* * *

><p>Two sharpteeth stood before Littlefoot. One was tan with dark blue eyes, and the other was green with amber eyes. Both seemed to be female. Littlefoot glanced back down at Chomper's eaten body. During the time of him being six, Mr. Thicknose, his mentor, taught him about the certain mating ritual. He mentioned that a sharptooth male could be very unlucky. Not only did the male have to fend off the opposing sharptooth, but the it had to also watch out for the female. During the ritual, the male sharptooth had to woe the female. If not, the female would have a feast that night. Unfortunately, Chomper became the meal.<p>

Littlefoot looked back at the sharpteeth as they gave out a mighty roar. Littlefoot cringed his teeth.

"You killed Chomper."

Littlefoot had known Chomper ever since he was an egg. Littlefoot had watched him hatched. The baby tyrannosaur had thought of Littlefoot as his father those couple of days after he hatched. They had met once again, and only he was in good terms with Chomper from the beginning to the end. Then Chomper had returned to the Great Valley in order to be safe as he grew. After a year and a half, time came for Chomper to leave the Great Valley. It was a tearful goodbye, but Littlefoot promised they would cross paths someday. That day was only a couple of days ago. The meeting was short, so Littlefoot and Chomper did not get the chance to actually talk. Now, they were near each other, but they were still miles away for communication. Littlefoot didn't want their relationship to end so abruptly…but that was the circle of life. Now, it was his turn to fight: life or death. That was all it dwindled down to. He stood proud as a longneck. Though the odds were against him, he chose to fight.

The green sharptooth roared at Littlefoot. It walked up to face the longneck first. It charged at Littlefoot, but she was kept at a distance by Littlefoot's tail. Littlefoot kept his eye on his target, but he was blind. The other sharptooth had circled around the two and was now in Littlefoot's blind spots. Littlefoot then finally released the tan on had disappeared. He turned around to see the razor-sharp teeth going for him. Littlefoot did manage to get his tail around in time and smacked the sharptooth's head with it. It fell back. However, the green one went through his defenses and bit his ribs. Littlefoot shouted in pain, but he still stood strong. He shook the sharptooth off with his tail, and it slammed to the ground. Littlefoot proceeded to crush the green one with his front feet as it laid defenseless on the ground. He never got the chance. The tan one had jumped onto Littlefoot's back. Before it bit down on Littlefoot's neck, the longneck quickly went down on his front legs, missing the green sharptooth, and kicked up its hind legs. The sharptooth lost grip and fell off like a rider getting knocked off by the horse he was riding on. The green sharptooth took this opportunity to get up. It faced Littlefoot and roared. Littlefoot looked at his opponent and kept it at a distance with his tail. The tan one was still on the ground behind Littlefoot, but its head was capable of reaching Littlefoot's left leg from the position it was in on the ground. She extended her head and clamped shut around Littlefoot's leg. Littlefoot once again roared in pain, but he allowed himself not to fall. He kicked the sharptooth off. As he did, he was vunerable to the green sharptooth. The green sharptooth head-butted Littlefoot's belly, slightly lifting up the longneck and knocking him over towards the ground. The tan sharptooth rose to its feet as the weakened Littlefoot was now on the ground. The sharpteeth roared and approached the fallen longneck. His time had just ran out.

Out of the stroke of luck, a tail wrapped itself around the green sharptooth's neck and brought it down to the ground. The tan one glanced back and saw that another longneck had entered the scene. Littlefoot noticed the longneck too, but he decided to knock down the tan sharptooth by wrapping his tail around its leg and tripping it. Littlefoot quickly, but painfully, rose to his feet. The longneck quickly joined him by his side.

"Ali," breathed Littlefoot.

"Littlefoot, let's get out of here. Your wounds."

Littlefoot looked at his body and noticed that blood was slowly dripping out of both wounds. He smirked.

"Just scratches."

Ali slightly narrowed her eyes.

"You're a horrible liar. C'mon. Let's go."

"I can't. Not yet anyways."

"Why not?"

Littlefoot said nothing and looked in a certain direction. Ali followed his eyes and noticed that he was looking at a dead tyrannosaur. She realized it to be Chomper, the friendly sharptooth she encountered a few days ago. She looked back at Littlefoot.

"I understand, but-"

Two roars interrupted her. The longnecks saw that the two sharpteeth had gotten to their feet again. They roared at the longnecks and approached them. Ali was going to fend off the tan tyrannosaur, but Littlefoot walked up in front of her.

"What are you doing?"

He didn't face her as he replied.

"Avenging a friend. Now, get to safety. I'll meet you there."

Ali shook her head.

"No way. I didn't come back for you in order to get shunned by you."

"I'm not shunning you. I'm protecting you. Now, get out of here, Ali."

Before Ali replied, the green sharptooth launched itself at Littlefoot. Littlefoot lashed at it with his tail. The sharptooth was pushed back. The tan one looked at the green one, and the green one looked back. They approached Littlefoot carefully. The tan one attacked first, but Littlefoot kept it at bay with his tail. His tail was not the ultimate defense. The green one jumped onto Littlefoot's back and bit down on the longneck's back. The teeth didn't go far as Ali's tail knocked the sharptooth off. However, Littlefoot was a bit shaken up, giving the tan carnivore a chance to attack. It went for Littlefoot's head by jumping up. Littlefoot moved his neck to avoid it, but the sharptooth's tiny claws managed to wound his lower neck with a cut as it came down to the ground. Littlefoot took two steps back due to the pain, as if he has been knocked back. Littlefoot's eyes closed slightly.

"Littlefoot," gasped Ali, looking back at Littlefoot.

A roar in front of her was heard. She quickly looked to see the green one closing in on her. She toughened her stance and batted the sharptooth away from her. She smiled in victory. The sharptooth tumbled to the ground. Ali hurriedly walked up to it and lifted her front feet over it. The sharptooth noticed this and tried its best to avoid the incoming feet. Only one of Ali's feet managed to strike the head of the beast, but the sharptooth was still able to get up. Ali was surprised by this, not knowing a sharptooth's skull was almost as hard as reinforced titanium, which was pretty strong. The sharptooth shook its head and looked at Ali. It roared furiously.

What do I do now?

She glanced back at Littlefoot to see that he dropped the beast that threatened him. He had wrapped his tail around the carnivore's neck and broken its neck. The weakened Littlefoot faced the green sharptooth.

"I won the battle against your friend," he told the green sharptooth.

The green sharptooth roared and looked at his options. It was two versus one. Sharpteeth were dumb, but their instincts protected them from death. The sharptooth roared and decided to walk away. It disappeared into the woods. This irritated Littlefoot.

"Coward! Where do you think you're going?"

"Littlefoot," came Ali's settled voice. "Don't."

"But it killed-"

"We don't know that. Besides, killing it won't bring back Chomper."

Littlefoot sighed. He turned around and walked towards the tree Chomper's corpse leaned against. A tear ran down Littlefoot's cheek.

"Oh, Chomper."

Ali was slowly walking up to Littlefoot when he suddenly collapsed.

"Littlefoot."

Ali noticed that he had a new wound on his back. Drops of blood spilled out of the wounds. Ali looked around.

"Don't worry, Littlefoot. I'll be back."

Ali walked around the area in order to look for things that would help Littlefoot heal. During the time she was gone, Littlefoot managed to look at Chomper.

"I hope you joined Mother and my grandparents."

Ali hurriedly came back with a mouthful of big leaves and vines. She quickly covered the wounds she could with leaves and tied the leaf around Littlefoot's bitten leg. His neck had stopped bleeding during the fight.

"There."

"Thank you, Ali," said Littlefoot, not having the strength to face Ali, "but I think my story is ending soon."

Ali's eyes began to water. She shook her head.

"No. You're wrong. You're going to be okay."

Littlefoot weakly smiled.

"I wish I was."

Littlefoot knew he had lost a lot of blood during the fight. He knew that he wouldn't recuperate soon. He would soon close his eyes. Ali lied down next to him and rested her head on his body. She rubbed her face softly against his body. Littlefoot felt the water that was her teardrops.

"Please…don't say that. I love you, Littlefoot. I know you're stronger than this."

Littlefoot took a moment to think what Ali had said.

"You still love me after all what I said?"

Ali raised her head slightly and looked at Littlefoot, smiling.

"Yes."

Though he faced the other direction, Ali knew a smile crept on his face.

"Ali, there's something you should know. After I left the group, I arrived at a large pond. I stopped for a drink, but then something that I don't understand happened. My reflection in the water changed. It wasn't my face anymore. It was my mother. I don't know why. Probably I miss her a lot, but soon, the image changed again. I saw a shadow of a longneck's head with beautiful blue eyes."

Littlefoot coughed weakly.

"It took me a short time to figure out it was you. I… My heart seemed to have always yearned for you. I was indecisive on who to pick, but that was because I ignored something I should have listened to: my heart. Ali, I do admit that Janet and I will have a bond, but it is only a friendship bond. Even when I dated her, it was a bond of friendship. I…I guess the reason why I dated her was because I needed someone to understand me. I thought she did, because of her past, but she and I are still different. I was acting by what my mind felt, not my heart."

There was a pause before Littlefoot spoke again.

"Ali, I love you."

Ali's smile grew. Oh, how she wanted to kiss him. But she couldn't. He was in too much pain. She just nuzzled against his body.

"Oh, Littlefoot."

"I just wish it didn't have to end like this."

Ali stopped nuzzling his body and looked towards his head. A tear escaped through each eye. They splashed on Littlefoot's body, more towards his back.

"Littlefoot, don't say things like that."

"Ali, can I ask you something? Can you stay with me a bit longer?"

Ali smiled.

"Littlefoot, I never left."

Littlefoot's smile returned. The two longnecks closed their eyes and went to sleep. During the time of sleeping, Ali's thoughts were all the same.

Littlefoot, don't die.


	28. A Cold Wind

A cool wind blew across the forest that morning. The wind picked up the scent of the rotting sharpteeth, one friend and one foe. The sunlight was scattered within the forest, as leaves served as clouds on the ground. Two longnecks had slept together. They had been friends, but their relationship grew into something more. Yesterday, they had confessed the love, though the situation was dire. They had fought valiantly against two sharpteeth. One managed to escape as the other paid the ultimate price of sin. Though it was the natural order, view differed for a male longneck. Chomper, the tyrannosaur partly eaten by its own kind, was like his son. The longneck had watched it hatch and grow. He also reunited him with his true parents. Now, Chomper was just like the sharptooth lying a few meters away from him: dead.

Ali woke up to the sound of rustling leaves. She blinked a couple of times before lifting her head a little in the air. She had rested it on the body of the male longneck she loved. Littlefoot was caught in battle before she arrived. If it wasn't for her, Littlefoot would've been the next meal for the carnivores. She smiled as she saw him so peacefully resting, but she knew they had to walk back to the spot where the Great Valley residents were.

She had come out here for him, but he came out into the Mysterious Beyond for a noble reason. Littlefoot ventured out here for his friends' sake. The Great Valley had stopped providing water, and the Great Valley residents were at a lost. Littlefoot lead them to a nurturing spot as he fixed the problem. Briefly after catching up with him, they fixed the problem, but then Janet came, along with Rhett.

Janet, a female longneck Ali slightly had a small grudge on, was Littlefoot's previous girlfriend. She complicated things, and the two started to childishly fight. Out of frustration, Littlefoot separated from them and walked back to tell the Great Valley residents the deed was done. Ashamed at first, Ali joined Rhett and Janet as they made their way back to Green Valley.

That night, Ali couldn't sleep. She felt so down for acting in such a manner for Littlefoot's affection. She had her reasons, but they all were connected. She truly loved him. By listening to her heart, she left Rhett and Janet to try again. To make it right, because she couldn't help but feel Littlefoot and her had the same feelings. A whisper of a feminine voice in the wind had told her so.

Soon, she came up to the struggling Littlefoot fighting two sharpteeth. Then came the events leading up to the position they were in. The fight, the blood, the wounds, the victory, the resting…and the confession. It was true what they said. One will speak the truth in a dire situation, because she was afraid of the outcome. She faced Littlefoot and lowered her head closer to his head.

"Littlefoot, wake up."

She slightly moved her head from the male's head. After a few moments of silence, she didn't see him budge. She tried again, raising her voice.

"Littlefoot? Littlefoot."

A few seconds passed with no response. She grew worried.

"Littlefoot, if this is a game, it isn't fun. Wake up already. We have to go."

The proud eyes of the longneck remained close.

"Littlefoot, please wake up!" she cried out.

Tears flowed out as she hoped the longneck she loved would wake up. He didn't.

"No, Littlefoot, you have to wake up! Please!"

She nudged his head with hers.

"Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up. Wake up Littlefoot!"

She moved her head back a little to check if she got a response. …Nothing. Realization soon turned in devastation for Ali. Tears seemed endless as she stared at the lifeless body of Littlefoot. She buried her head in his neck, near his head, still weeping.

"No… It can't be... No...no, no. Littlefoot."

She stopped digging her head into his neck. She just laid her head flat on the neck. Tears trailed off of her onto him. The longneck she loved, the one she traveled for, was now dead.

* * *

><p>Spike and Cera were relaxing next to each other on the grass near the large pond. Petrie and Ducky were having fun in the water. Petrie was laying on a flat rock as Ducky swam around. The sun beamed down on this opened field that was part of the Mysterious Beyond. For now, it was just their second home. Spike turned his head towards Cera.<p>

"Hey Cera?"

Cera opened her eyes casually and looked over at Spike.

"Yes."

"Where do you think Littlefoot is?"

"Don't know. Probably he's on his way back."

"Probably."

Spike sighed.

"It's just that it has been a while."

"It's only been seven bright circles. I'm sure he fixed the problem by now and is heading his way back here with Ali."

"But what about Rhett and Janet?"

"They're probably with them."

Spike shrugged.

"I guess."

A few seconds passed. Spike sighed.

"I just wish we could go home soon."

"Same here," breathed Cera.

Cera looked out towards the pond. She then noticed something. The water was vibrating. Cera stood up and looked towards the forest. Cera's father, who was taking a drink from the pond, also noticed the vibrations. Curiously, he looked around and saw that some dinosaurs noticed this too, including his daughter. He approached her. Cera soon noticed her father standing beside her.

"Do you see the water moving?" she asked her father, still looking at the thick woods.

"Yes," he breathed. "Could it be?"

An image was shrouded within the woods, but it was still noticeable. The figure soon walked out of the forest and into the grassy clearing. The dinosaurs smiled, and some were relieved it wasn't a sharptooth. Ali had returned.

"Ali!" called out Cera.

Cera, Spike, and Mr. Threehorn were the first to approach Ali. Soon, Ducky and Petrie saw Ali and went to greet her. Slowly, the Great Valley residents surrounded the longneck, all being in front of her. Ducky took a few steps closer to her and briefly hugged her leg as a caring friend.

"Oh, Ali. You're back."

"Yes," she blankly stated.

"Does this mean the water problem has been fixed?" asked an adult Iguanodon from the crowd.

Ali slowly nodded.

"Yes. Water is flowing down through the Great Valley as we speak."

The dinosaurs smiled and briefly spoke out to each other in relief. After a few seconds, the voices died down. The smiling Spike faced Ali.

"Hey. Where's Littlefoot? Is he coming?"

Ali's face had been somewhat pleased as she reported the good news. To answer Spike's question, her expression changed back into her depressed state. She looked down at the floor and looked slightly away from the herd of dinosaurs. A few awkward seconds passed. Cera swallowed her saliva and broke the silence.

"Ali? Where's Littlefoot?"

She looked towards the dinosaurs with her neck still lowered.

"He's gone."

Petrie flew down to the floor in front of Ali and next to Ducky.

"Gone? When will he be back?"

Ali shook her head.

"Not like that, Petrie. He's gone forever."

The tears starting dropping again from her face as she looked straight down at the ground.

"… He's dead."

Gasps echoed throughout the crowd. Mr. Threehorn took a step forward towards Ali.

"H-how?"

"Sharpteeth a day ago," she simply said, not wanting to explain in detail.

Spike looked down at the ground in an angle, saddened.

"I can't believe it. He…he was so young. A true friend and leader."

Ducky sniffled, wiping the forming tears out of her eyes.

"He…but he… He was…my friend."

"He was everyone's friend," Cera said softly. "Littlefoot…"

"We owe him thanks," said Mr. Threehorn, raising his voice. "His sacrifice saved us all. He knew the dangers, but he threw that all aside…to save us."

There was a moment of silence as all remembered Littlefoot. Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike remembered the first time they met him. He was gentle towards them, but very strict when he pushed them. It was all worth it. They reached the Great Valley and were reunited with their parents because of him. All the adventures they shared with him replayed in their minds. There were so many adventures, ranging from going to different locations in the Great Valley to journeying outside in the Mysterious Beyond. They remembered his cleverness and his curiosity, but these two traits didn't compare to the character of his heart his mother had given him. He had such a passion and joy of helping others. He would've been a fine leader.

Ali remembered the time she first laid eyes on him. He was a handsome boy with such a great personality. She felt happy, secured, scared, irritated, and sad when she was with him. These were all the normal feelings a couple in love experienced. Though their first meeting was short, the adventure of helping his grandfather made it feel like they had known each other for years. When she visited the second time, along with Rhett, she did care about him, but she was blinded by Rhett. Through the acts of Littlefoot and his friends, they had proved to her Rhett was a coward. Though Rhett had lied, Littlefoot still invited Rhett to play with them. This small action reminded Ali why she liked Littlefoot before, and when they had some time together to catch up before she left, it made her wish Littlefoot and his grandparents would travel with them. The third time she visited the Great Valley was ten years after her second visit. Littlefoot had grown a little more handsome, and Ali knew by the time he reached adulthood, he would be gorgeous. Rhett was still with the herd, but she did manage to get some private time with Littlefoot. They talked about past adventure, and Ali finally understood Littlefoot's overall character, and she couldn't be more pleased. She promised Littlefoot that she would return, but then…that day came. The herd had been devoured by the Earth as they walked in a canyon. The survivors, she and Rhett being a part of them, were then attacked by a large pack of Deinonychuses. Only she and Rhett managed to escape. They started to search for a new herd, but they ended up in a permanent home. That home was Green Valley. Ali was devastated that her mother and the herd were gone, but she also considered the fact that she wouldn't see Littlefoot anymore. It would be another three years before Littlefoot and Janet stumbled across Green Valley.

There continued to be a moment of silence for a few more seconds. Mr. Threehorn looked up into the sky and then roared at a low frequency. Soon, most of the dinosaurs joined in. Ali remembered this unique roar. They had done it when the Old One died. It was to honor the leader of the herd and to cry out to the spirit of that leader, being grateful for what the leader did for the herd. Ali and Littlefoot's friends remained silent, still mourning in thought over Littlefoot's death. Soon, Cera and Spike joined in. Then roared Petrie and Ducky. Ali remained silent as the tears dropped down to the floor. It was tradition that the future mate or mate of the dead dinosaur to not roar.


	29. Life Returns to Normal

Ali lowered her head to get some water. She gulped down the water provided from Roaring Falls, the main source of the Great Valley. It had been three months since the problem of the Great Valley was fixed. After a month of water returning to the valley, green food decorated the valley as it used to be. Mr. Threehorn led everyone back home once he got the report from a flier that everything had returned to normal in the Great Valley.

Ali had decided to stay. For her, there was no point in returning to Green Valley. She knew Rhett and Janet were there. Just seeing them would remind her of her future with the male that saved the Great Valley residents. Through Littlefoot's ambitions, things restored in the Great Valley, and he ended up sacrificing his life. If only she had gotten there sooner… She felt she owed Littlefoot for her safety. She decided to stay with the Great Valley folks. After all, she was going to stay with them if the two longnecks both prevailed.

Ali lifted her head and looked up in the sky. A couple of clouds sailed across the blue sky as the wind slightly brushed against her scales. She sighed. It had also been three months since Littlefoot's death. Ali dropped her head from the sky and turned around to take a stroll across the valley.

* * *

><p>The same weather as in the Great Valley was in Green Valley. This longneck-populated valley replicated the Great Valley in some ways, but everything seemed customized for a longneck. Among the longneck population was a lass named Janet. Well, she wasn't a single lass, for she was dating now. The steel blue longneck with hazel eyes sighed as she laid down. Her boyfriend, a silver grey longneck with emerald-colored eyes, sat next to her, munching on the low-branched treestars near him. Janet had met this male, Jett, two days after Janet and Rhett had returned to Green Valley. Not only was he handsome, but he was brave, caring, and considerate. Jett somewhat reminded her of Littlefoot, but his personality differed from Littlefoot in some parts. She always felt horrible when she compared him to Littlefoot, but that was the closest dinosaur Jett reminded Janet of a few times. Jett was still Jett though, and it was this side that Janet quickly adored and took a liking to.<p>

"Nice day, huh, Janet?"

Janet turned her head back a little, enough to see Jett's face. She smiled.

"It is. It's a day like this that makes me be grateful for the life I have. I've seen too many bad ones."

Jett knew about Janet's past, and she knew his. After a month of dating, it was kind of hard not to talk about the past. Jett reached over to Janet by using his neck and rubbed her cheek with his nose. She welcomed the affection.

"Yeah. We are lucky and grateful for that luck."

Janet smiled. Her thoughts soon trailed off as she spotted Rhett in the clearing as well. Janet and Jett had been sitting in the shaded area that was near a portion of the outline of the large, grassy clearing. Rhett was walking with light greenish longneck with violet eyes. The female he was with was one he met only two weeks ago. With Ali gone, Rhett just wandered around Green Valley along. Usually, he would talk to Janet, but it soon dwindled down to once in a while when Janet met Jett. Now, how they met was one Janet found herself chuckling about. Rhett, bragging to two longnecks how he fought against a sharptooth and survived, accidentally whipped this girl in the head. The story he told was true, as he did fight off a sharptooth during the return to Green Valley. He just was a clumsy goofball and didn't know where he was swinging his tail. Of course, the girl fumed in anger, and the two bystanders got to see Rhett being beaten up by this female longneck. The next day, Rhett apologized to her by bringing her a tree sweet, and they soon became friends afterwards, evolving their friendship into something much greater. It seemed he didn't miss Ali.

Just thinking of Ali made Janet remembered what they went through, just for Littlefoot's affection. He denied them both, but Ali was persistence. She went off in the night in search for Littlefoot. It was the next day when Rhett and Janet discovered Ali was missing. Rhett had asked Janet if she was going to follow. It was then Janet realized that Ali would always be there for him, even though he had wandered off alone, breaking her heart. The reason was simple: Ali loved Littlefoot. Ever since that day, Janet considered Ali a friend more than a rival. But she hadn't heard word of Ali or Littlefoot. It had been a couple of months, and communications were disconnected. Janet had thought the two longnecks would return to Green Valley, but they had probably chosen to stay in the Great Valley. Janet sighed.

"What's up?"

Janet turned towards Jett when she heard the sound of his deep voice. Janet smiled.

"Jett, do you know of the Great Valley?"

* * *

><p>A herd of longnecks had entered the Great Valley. The Great Valley residents gathered around them as Ali introduced herself to them. It was only fitting she would talk to them. After all, she was the only longneck as a Great Valley resident.<p>

"Welcome to the Great Valley."

The leader appeared to be a dark brown longneck with blue eyes. He appeared to be Ali's age. In fact, he might have been a little older. The leader smiled.

"Thank you. My name is Zank, and I'm the leader of the herd."

Ali already knew that. She wondered why he brought it up. It was probably to impress her. She shrugged it off.

"Well, Zank, your herd can rest here if needed."

"Thank you."

"If you or your herd has any questions, just ask."

Zank nodded. Ali moved aside to let Zark pass. As he did, he winked at Ali. The herd passed Ali and the rest of the residents of the Great Valley. The Great Valley dinosaurs slowly returned to what they were doing before Zank and his herd appeared. Ali just slightly shook her head. Cera walked up to her.

"Hey Ali."

Ali looked down and saw the threehorn with grown, rounded horns.

"Oh, hi Cera."

"The others and I are going to the Tall Trees if you want to come."

Ali smiled.

"Thank you, Cera. I might be running a little late."

"That's okay. We might be there all day or somewhere near."

Ali nodded. Cera smiled and left. Ali started walking in the other direction. She was going to eat first before she would meet the others. Ali disappeared from the clearing into a small forest with the maple treestars she liked.

She walked into the forest and didn't get far to enjoy the treestars. She was still shrouded from view from those outside this grouping of trees. Ali reached up for the leaves and ripped some out. She grinded them and gulped them down.

"Hey."

Ali looked to her side. She saw the smiling Zank. She greeted him.

"Hi."

"I noticed that you smiled when I winked."

"Oh, that. I was just trying to be polite."

"That's what they all say. Listen. A single, beautiful longneck like you shouldn't go unchecked."

Ali sighed.

"Listen Zank. I'm not interested in any illusion you have."

Zank smiled, shaking his head slowly. Ali didn't like his wicked smile.

"You don't get it, do you Dear?"

Ali was scared and crept out. The 'Dear' part made Ali realize he was determined, and he was going to satisfy himself no matter what. Ali cleared her throat.

"I'm going to go now."

Ali started to walk, but it soon turned into a jog. However, Zank was prepared for this. He reached out for her tail with his tail and grabbed it. Ali stopped dead.

"Where are you going, Sweat Treat?"

Ali faced Zank with watery eyes. Her face told that she was completely frighten now, but Zank just had a grin on his face. He didn't care of how Ali felt. He just wanted...that.

"Please don't," she pleaded.

"We're going to have some fun."

"Please don't."

"And then you want to come with the herd because of the fun we had."

"Please, don't!"

"Come he-"

A force perpendicular to Zank rammed him over and down. Zank had let go of Ali's tail as he fell over to the ground. Zank lifted his head from the ground and shook it. He looked at the dinosaur that rammed him down. Ali did too, and all emotions flooded throughout her. She was grateful, but she was more in shock. Ali's savior was a longneck a little taller than Ali. He was a very brown Apatosaurus with brown-reddish eyes. Ali had knew him once before he died, but he was standing there in her presence. She had watched him died, but by some miracle he lived. Zank narrowed his eyes.

"What's your deal, Littlefoot!"


	30. The Challenge

"Go to the Great Valley for a visit?"

Janet nodded as Rhett repeated her question aloud for himself. The sun was descending from the sky, but the day still had more sunlight to shed. The wind blew across green valley with such comfort and peace. Mady, Rhett's girlfriend, stood next to Rhett as Janet had briefly posed the question to him. She looked at him and smiled.

"Wouldn't that be nice, Rhett?" asked Mady.

"Mm…"

"I mean it would be nice to see Littlefoot and Ali," mentioned Janet.

"… Yeah, you're right. We haven't really talked to them recently."

"Well, for a long time now," said Janet. "I think it's almost the season the leaves change colors."

"Well, yeah," said Rhett. "Alright. It will be good to visit them."

Janet smiled. She faced Jett, who was standing next to her.

"I bet you and Littlefoot would get along nicely."

"Littlefoot? Why does he keep his name? It doesn't...seem appropriate from what you already told me about him."

"Well, he does call himself that. It's probably because his mother. She gave him the name in remembrance of his father."

Janet remembered the story Littlefoot told about his mother. It was quite sad of how she died, protecting him. However, she was glad that, even after her death, Littlefoot retained some of her aspects. She seemed like a great longneck, and if she was given the opportunity, Janet wanted to meet her, though it was impossible now. She did meet some of her character through Littlefoot's personality. Jett nodded.

"Oh, okay."

Janet faced Mady.

"And befriending Ali won't be hard. She has a great personality, like Littlefoot."

"Yeah," agreed Rhett. "This is coming from the longneck who hated Ali's guts at first."

Janet narrowed her eyes and stared coldly at Rhett. He felt a chill going down his spin and slowly turned towards Janet. He nervously smiled. He opened his mouth, but he didn't get a chance to say anything. Janet whipped his head with her tail. It wasn't that hard, but it stung Rhett for a little bit. He shook his head and looked back at Janet. She huffed and faced Mady.

"He's a joker, this one. Just let him not get too carried away."

Mady sighed.

"I know. He says the wrong things at the wrong times, but his clumsiness is one of the things that define him special to me."

"I'm not clumsy."

Mady half-closed her eyes and just looked at Rhett.

"Alright. Not **that** clumsy."

Mady shook her head and smiled. She faced back at Jett and Janet.

"So, when do we leave?"

"The Great Valley is a couple of bright circles away," explained Janet.

"We can just leave tomorrow when the bright circle is barely rising up," said Jett. "I would rather stay one night in the Mysterious Beyond rather than two."

"I ditto that decision," said Rhett.

Janet nodded.

"So, it's agreed. We leave for the Great Valley tomorrow. Ali and Littlefoot would be so surprised."

* * *

><p>Zank rose to his feet and looked at Littlefoot, annoyed he ruined his chances to score with Ali, the only female longneck the Great Valley had to offer. He narrowed his eyes.<p>

"Don't you any respect? I am the leader of the herd."

Littlefoot shook his head.

"Not me. In fact, not to half the herd. It's always a mystery to me on how you passed the longneck test. You don't have the traits to lead. All you care about is yourself."

"That isn't true."

"Let's see. Ever since I joined the herd, we have come to face eleven sharpteeth and two groups of fast biters. And how many you fought? None. I and the other males had to fend them off. Well, except for that one time. I was too weak after being brought down and a female had to jump in and protect me, but nonetheless, you didn't help in that battle...in any battle."

"Yeah, but don't forget it was I that let you into the herd. If I didn't wander into that forest, you would've probably been dead."

Littlefoot thought about it.

"I'll give you that much credit, but what you were planning to do is wrong. I've heard what you do when we visit valleys that have longnecks in them. I was wondering where you went in the last valley we rested in, and one of the longnecks said you were tending to the woes of the single females. I knew what he meant, and I couldn't allow this to go on. What kind of leader are you?"

Zank slyly smiled.

"Kind of late, Littlefoot. You've been traveling with us some time, and you didn't know? Besides, you can't tell me what I can and cannot do as a leader. I will lead my herd how I want to and do what I want to."

"Your pride will be your biggest downfall."

"An inexperienced longneck that almost died is telling me I'm a bad leader? Ha. Don't make me laugh."

"Just to let you know the herd will cast you aside soon. They see me as a more suitable leader. A true leader I might add."

Zank's eyes widened briefly as he heard this. His herd would get rid of him soon? This had to be the work of Littlefoot. He narrowed his eyes at the dark brown-grayish longneck.

"Very well, Littlefoot. Why don't we settle this tomorrow? If the herd thinks you are the leader they need, then prove it. I'll enjoy crushing your bones, and they'll remember why I'm the leader."

Zank looked up through an open spot through the large garden of trees.

"When the sun is over the smoky mountains, we'll fight just outside the Great Valley, and I tell the herd to meet us near the entrance into the valley to witness you're downfall."

Zank walked passed Littlefoot, not looking at his challenger or Ali. Littlefoot watched him as he left and slightly looked back as Zank walked out of the trees and into the clearing. Littlefoot closed his eyes, thinking the potential outcome of this. His thoughts were disturbed by a female longneck. He opened his eyes and looked down at Ali. He then remembered. He smiled, and he was welcomed with a smile from her.

"Hi," was all Ali could say for the moment. The presence of Littlefoot standing next to her after three months was something so grateful to her. Her boyfriend, and future mate, was back.

"I'm sorry about this," he sincerely said. "You shouldn't have gone through that."

He looked slightly down in shame. It was more for him than Zank. He was naive on what Zank had done in valleys. Luckily, he saved Ali.

"That's alright, Littlefoot. I'm just glad you came."

Ali leaned forward to kiss Littlefoot. Littlefoot blushed at this and moved back his head. Ali was surprised by his gesture.

"What's wrong?"

"W-What are you doing?"

"Well, kissing you. Or at least, trying to," said Ali, slightly annoyed Littlefoot moved his head back as if he was some child receiving his first kiss.

"But why?" questioned Littlefoot. "I don't even know you."


	31. Past Gaps

Ali walked out of the small forest into the clearing, wondering what just happened. Littlefoot had returned, but he had completely forgotten her. She had overheard that he was saved by that jerk Zank, but when and how? When she left him, he showed no sign of life. Could it be that he did died and returned, or did he enter a state of slumber where he slowed down his breathing so that it appeared he died, but he was still too weak to move. Her mind rattled thoughts, both the explainable and the unexplainable ones, on what could have happened.

"Ali!"

Ali looked to her left and saw a teenaged Spike about fifteen meters away from her in the grassy clearing. His plates were growing in just fine and the spikes at the end of his tail had grown a little. Ali faced him completely and smiled. Spike stopped a few feet away from her and looked up at Ali.

"Um, I was wandering if you met Littlefoot?"

Ali reluctantly nodded.

"I did, but he's not the same."

"I know," Spike said in a saddened voice. "It seems that he has forgotten us."

Ali's eyes slightly rose in semi-shock. It wasn't only her that he had forgotten; it seemed he forgotten his friends. Probably even more. It was strange that he remembered his name and his skills as a longneck were up to date. What could have happened to him in those three months?

"Ali, have you spoken with him?"

Ali nodded.

"Yes," she said quietly.

The conversation she had with him a few minutes ago replayed in her head.

_Ali was in shock that Littlefoot questioned who she was. She had a concern face._

"_But Littlefoot, it's me, Ali."_

_Littlefoot was a little crept out that this longneck knew him. He cleared his throat._

"_I'm sorry…um…A-li, but I don't know you."_

"_What do you mean by that?"_

"_Just the plain truth. I do not know you."_

_Ali's blue eyes began to water. Littlefoot noticed this and begin to panic._

"_Miss, please don't cry. Honest to be, I don't know you."_

"_But Littlefoot, how could you forget? We were going to be mates."_

_Littlefoot's blush engulfed his face. He moved back his neck in shock._

"_W-what are y-you ta-talking about? If I had a mate, I wouldn't forget her."_

_Ali narrowed her eyes and gave Littlefoot a cold stare. Littlefoot flinched a little, and after an awkward pause, he began to speak again._

"_I'm sorry. You must be confusing me with someone else."_

"_No, I am not."_

_Littlefoot rolled his eyes._

"_Okay, you're not."_

_Ali realized something. Her voice calmed down._

"_You think I'm crazy, don't you?"_

"_Well…um…"_

_Ali narrowed her eyes and moved her face closer to Littlefoot's face. He panicked._

"_You-you-"_

"_L-Listen, I already told you. I-I'm being sincere here. If I had known you…"_

_Littlefoot's voiced died down. This raised a question for Ali._

"_What? What were you going to say?"_

"_I have to go."_

_Littlefoot took a few steps back before turning around. He glanced back at Ali and was about to say something when he just dropped it. He left her alone. Ali watched him leave and wanted to cry, but she couldn't. She just left the forest with a confused mind._

"Ali?"

Ali looked from the ground in front of her and faced Spike.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I…I was lost in thought, I guess."

"That's alright. Well, what are we going to do with Littlefoot? It seems he forgot all about us and the Great Valley."

"Um, I'm…I'm going to go find him. Excuse me."

Ali left Spike, hoping to find Littlefoot soon. Spike briefly watched her walk and decided that she was probably the best suited dinosaur to talk to Littlefoot. After all, she was his species. He walked off to find his friends and converse with them about the situation.

* * *

><p>Littlefoot rested in a part of the Great Valley hidden to others. Tree surrounded him as a river passed beside him. He looked down at his reflection in the water. Soon, his image turned into the image of Ali.<p>

_But Littlefoot, it's me, Ali._

_Littlefoot, how could you forget?_

Littlefoot sighed. He was so confused on what had happened. The girl he saved acclaimed he knew him, but she wasn't the only one. A flyer and a spiketail also addressed him by his name. How did they know him? He would've remembered if he had met them before, but that was the problem. He hadn't met them before. He shook his head in confusion.

"How do they know me?" he whispered to himself. "How do they know me, and I don't know them. Could they be just messing with my head…or could they really be a part of my past?"

Littlefoot had full memory of his name, his personality, his fighting attributes…and a few incidents of his past. His past was fuzzy for the most part. He did remember taking the longneck test and passing it, but he forgot who gave it to him: his mother or his father. He remembered about how he journeyed across the land as a child, but he forgot with who and to where? He remembered risky his life once before, almost dying, but why and, if possible, for who. He was in utter bewilderment. He lowered his head down to take a drink.

He soon heard footsteps approaching him. As he lifted his head, they stopped. He faced in the direction he heard the footsteps and saw Ali. He gulped down the remaining water he had in his mouth.

"Oh, it's you," he greeted. "Ali, isn't it?"

Ali nodded her head.

"Yes."

There was a pause for three seconds before Ali continued.

"How are you feeling?"

Littlefoot sighed and looked away from her, staring at another part of the forest of trees.

"I don't know. For the most part, I'm confused."

Ali took two steps closer.

"Littlefoot, what do you remember?"

He shook his head and looked at her.

"But Ali, we just met, kind of informally," pointed out Littlefoot, being polite. "Why should I tell you?"

Ali was stricken by this. His words were an array of sharptooth teeth piercing her heart, but she was strong. She had to remind herself that this wasn't the same Littlefoot.

"Well, you're right. You just met me, but I thought you needed someone to talk to."

He saw the expression on her face. It was hurt, but it seemed sincere. He sighed.

"Ali, you claimed that you knew me once before. A spiketail also claimed to be my friend. I would've remembered the both of you, but that's just it. I can't. My past seems fuzzy. I remember some aspects about my past, but not a whole lot."

"Well, do you remember the first time we met here in this valley?"

Littlefoot thought about. Ali decided to help him.

"One day, a herd of longnecks migrated to a valley. You were a kid at that time. You were with your group of friends after greeting the herd and decided to play tag. As you chased your friends, you stopped because you heard something in the bushes. As you looked, that something was on top of you, hiding in a rotten long. She fell next to you, and you chuckled slightly. That something was me."

Littlefoot thought about it, trying to recall that day the best he could.

"All I remember was that my grandparents, or my parents, met that migrating herd. I left after hearing an old, rude longneck. I went to my friends, and we did end up playing tag. I…"

He paused.

"I was playing tag until I noticed something in a bush. I checked it out, but it bit my tail. I was determined on finding it. Ironically, it found me after falling off of a log. …It was a female longneck."

He stared at Ali as she formed a small smile.

"So, you were that longneck?"

He knew that Ali wasn't filling stories into his head. She had told the same story as him before he told his story. Unless they had a place that displayed and share information about someone with everyone, only then she could've known, but there wasn't such a place like that…for now. Ali smiled.

"You know," continued Littlefoot with his eyes half-closed, "you could've just said hi before biting my tail."

Ali dropped the smile and half-closed her eyes.

"You do remember I fell off that log."

Littlefoot remembered and chuckled a little.

"Oh, yeah," he said, realizing that it balanced out.

Ali blinked and smiled.

"Well, it seems you remember."

"Only that one part, Ali, and it's still fuzzy to me."

Ali sighed in disappointment. She realized that she could try to get Littlefoot's memories back by telling him about his past, but that would take time, and after years, she would be lucky if only twenty percent of his memory was restored.

"But the bright side is that I now remember I met you before."

This brought a beam of happiness to Ali's face. Littlefoot grinned. Then Ali remembered something. Her expression grew serious.

"So, Littlefoot, are you ready for tomorrow?"

"You mean the fight? Zank is all talk. I doubt he'll knock me down."

Ali shook her head.

"Don't sound too cocky."

"What do you mean?"

"Obviously, he didn't become leader because he passed the longneck test. He probably put fear into those who opposed him. He probably fought the previous leader and won for dominance. Just because he doesn't fight sharpteeth, doesn't mean he can't fight. I mean, it only took until now that the herd is considering overthrowing him, but why didn't they do it sooner? …How does he get away with…what he was going to do to me?"

Littlefoot blinked his eyes into realization. He faced Ali.

"You're right. He has been a leader for a few Cold Times, and none had ever opposed him. I should take him more seriously. Um, excuse me Ali, but I need to train."

He walked passed her, but stopped. He looked back and saw that she was facing him. He smiled,

"Thank you."

He turned his head forward and walked out of the forest. Ali smiled.

"I need to find the others."

She left this portion of the forest to tell her friends, and Littlefoot's friends, on what had happened.


	32. Discuss and Solve

"He didn't even know you?" wondered Petrie. "That weird."

Ali had found Spike and the others near Thundering Falls, the great waterfall of the Great Valley. Ali wondered why they were discussing the situation next to a thing that you have to sound louder than in order for the dinosaur next to you to hear it. One of her friends, most likely Cera, had probably been using the waterfall as a showerhead. They were quite a way from the fall though, near the trees, but the sound of it echoed throughout the area. Ali nodded her head.

"Yes. Littlefoot didn't recognize me at first?"

"At first?" questioned Ducky in a caring voice. "What do you mean, Ali?"

"I think the Littlefoot we know is inside him."

"How can that be?" Petrie wondered, scratching his head. "How can Littlefoot be inside himself?"

"I think he got hit on the head by a huge rock," said Cera.

"So, Littlefoot's mind is trap within him."

Cera faced Spike.

"But how can that be? Spike, you're not making any sense. How can Littlefoot's mind be trapped inside of him? His mind is already inside of him."

Spike shook his head.

"It's been a while, and you still don't have an opened mind."

"I…I do too. It's just…uh, that you're talking all preachy and stuff."

Petrie looked down and softly kicked the dirt he stood on.

"I wish Littlefoot was back. The old Littlefoot."

Ali sighed.

"I know Petrie. I wish he was back too."

The dinosaurs looked down, as if all hope was lost, except for Spike. He was deep in thought. An idea came to view. He grinned. Ducky was the first to notice, and soon the others saw this.

"What's with the grin, Spike?"

Ducky walked up to her step-brother.

"Yeah, Spike. Why are you so happy?"

Spike shook his head.

"You remember about Mr. Thicknose's lessons?"

"Not so much," said Petrie.

"Nope," said Ducky.

"Hardly," said Cera. "Besides, how would you know what he was talking about? You were eating almost all the time."

"But I was still listening."

"Could've fooled me."

Spike shrugged.

"Anyways, there was a lesson on sickness. When a dinosaur suffers memory lost, one of the causes of it was that he was knocked out for a long time. It's mostly caused by something hard hitting a dinosaur on the head, but I think it works the same for Littlefoot's case. In order to reverse it and change it back to normal, we need to hit him in the head very hard. That's what cures it."

The others stared at him, stunned. Ali shook her head.

"That's crazy, Spike."

"I know, but it might be the only chance we have to get Littlefoot back.

Cera grunted, thinking about it. She sighed in slight realization that it might only be the only way.

"Very well."

"But hitting him in the head is mean," stated Petrie.

"I know, but it will be worth it. Mr. Thicknose said it worked before."

"I guess," said Ducky. "Mr. Thicknose is really smart, and Littlefoot did trust his lessons. If that's the only way…"

"It is," said Spike.

Cera huffed.

"Never knew you were smart one. I always thought you were just a mindless eater."

"And you were a simple-minded hothead, but things changed."

Cera half-closed her eyes.

"I liked it better when you couldn't talk."

Spike slightly smiled.

"Oh-"

"Spike."

Spike stopped and looked up at Ali. She had a concerned face.

"I don't think it's a good idea. I-I don't want to hurt him. There has to be another way."

"But Ali," started Ducky, "Mr. Thicknose was very wise. He was the wisest of the valley. If he said that this is the only way, then it is the only way."

She paused before continuing.

"I don't want to hurt Littlefoot, but if it helps me get my friend back, I guess I have too. Plus, I want to make another friend very happy too."

Ali looked at Ducky curiously, but she already knew what Ducky meant. Cera also knew and nodded.

"Ducky's right. Ali, ever since Littlefoot was gone, you were devastated. You kept a smiling face, but I have always felt that you hid your true feelings. I…It was because that he was gone, Ali. But now, he's back. Even though he's back, you don't seem very happy. That's because he's not back completely. If this is the only way, don't you want to take that risk? To get the old Littlefoot back?"

Ali looked at her friends. She smiled in thought of how great friends could be. She couldn't help but feel they were right. If there was a chance Littlefoot could return back to normal, she was willing to take that chance for true happiness.

"Okay," she nodded, "but how are we going to do it?"

Cera smiled.

"Leave it to me."

* * *

><p>The sun had risen high into the sky the next day. Littlefoot was in a part of the Great Valley, alone. He lifted his head from the small river and gulped down his water. He sighed in relief.<p>

"Boy, that's the stuff."

He looked up and saw the position of the sun. He narrowed his eyes in determination.

"So, it's time."

Littlefoot strayed away from the river and walked towards the valley's entrance. In the valley's outskirts, Zank was waiting.


	33. Rebound to Old

Across the outskirts of the Great Valley, a cool wind blew. Some of the Great Valley residents and the longneck migrating herd assembled outside, near the Great Valley's entrance. The crowd circled around the unlabeled fight area. Zank looked up to see where the sun was above the smoky mountains. Zank smirked and faced the crowd.

"Figures. He's scared. All talk and no bite."

"All talk and no bite, eh?"

Zank faced the section of the crowd near the valley's entrance. The dinosaurs moved aside. Littlefoot proudly walked into the battle area as his pathway from behind filled with dinosaurs. Littlefoot looked at Zank.

"So, Littlefoot, you dare to oppose me?"

"That's why I'm here. You are not fit to lead."

"I'll change your mind once you're begging for your life."

In the crowd, Ali kept a watchful eye. She had seen Littlefoot enter the fighting area, and now, he would fight to prove dominance. She had seen these fights before; thrice in her lifetime. From what her mother told them, they rarely happen amongst longnecks, but when they do, only one longneck may be alive afterwards. Out of the three fights she had seen, the last fight she saw was like that. Two longnecks fight, and one survive. Before her mother left, she revealed to her that her father had died in a fight like so. Of course, this was before she was laid by her mother. If she would've come to known him, she would mourn for his death. Her mother had said that he opposed the leader's morals and challenged him. He ended up getting his head crushed by the leader's foot. Now, watching this fight about to unfold, Ali realized that this was how her mother felt.

Littlefoot looked around in slight confusion. Zank noticed this.

"Are you having second thoughts?"

He faced Zank.

"No, I was just…waiting for the go."

"The go?" laughed Zank. "Do you mean you've never been in a fight like this?"

"Well, I was just wondering if there was a ritual or something like that before the fight."

Littlefoot heard a few of the longnecks snicker. Of course, they were close friends to Zank. Zank blinked in confusion for a moment before continuing to laugh.

"Well, Littlefoot, if stupidity killed, you would've won this fight."

Littlefoot narrowed his eyes. Zank cleared his throat.

"Let me show you."

Zank positioned himself sideways towards Littlefoot. Littlefoot was curious on what he was going to do, thinking it was part of a ritual before starting the fight. He was proved wrong when Zank's tail flew towards him and whipped his head. Littlefoot moved back, shaking his head to focus. He faced his opponent and growled.

"Very well, Zank. Let's began."

* * *

><p>Janet led the group of longnecks to the Great Valley. Two days had passed, and they were still walking out in the barren wasteland. Rhett tiredly huffed.<p>

"I forgot how brutal walking here could be."

Mady looked at her boyfriend.

"How could you forget? Weren't you out here for, like, years?"

"When you live the good life, you kind of forget the struggling life you have. At least, I do."

Rhett looked forward and called out to Janet.

"So, Janet, is this the way to the Great Valley?"

Janet looked around.

"Um, it seems right," she said, still focusing in the path in front of her.

"It seems right? Not very assuring."

"Rhett, be quiet," said Mady. "Sometimes, you…"

Rhett just shrugged.

"I know, but it sure keeps things lively."

"N-uh."

Mady shook her head and smiled. He was right for the most part, though it was still inappropriate at times, She sighed.

"Just don't be too disrespectful."

"But Janet knows how sarcastic I can be."

"Still. Just-don't push it."

Janet soon spotted something up ahead. It was still quite a way, but it was a sign they were going the right way. Jett noticed this and faced her future mate.

"What do you see?"

"Is that a forest up ahead?"

Jett looked out and nodded.

"Yep."

Janet smiled. She looked back.

"Don't worry guys. We're close to the Great Valley. Just a day and a half or more of walking."

Rhett sighed.

"It's times like these I wish I was a flyer."

* * *

><p>The two skulls of the male longnecks bashed against each other. Both males still looked strong. Zank grinned as the two longnecks tried to push their opponent's head back.<p>

"You know, Littlefoot? I'm surprised you made it this far."

"W-What are you talking about? We've only begun a few moments ago,"

"I know… There had been other longnecks who have opposed me, though they haven't lasted as long as you."

He dropped the grin.

"However, it is time to finish this."

Zank summoned more strength and pushed back Littlefoot's head, lifting it up. Littlefoot was briefly stunned and couldn't protect himself from Zank's next move. Zank bashed his head into Littlefoot's neck, taking the air out of him. Littlefoot moved back to catch his breath, but he took too long. Zank came back and delivered a powerful blow to Littlefoot's lower side with his tail. It knocked Littlefoot back, but he still retained his footing. Littlefoot blinked due to the sting and faced Zank.

Damn. I…didn't see this coming. Ali was right. Zank is not someone who should be disregarded. He's strong. Probably equal to me or stronger. However, power does not only determine the winner. I have to be strategic about this.

Zank was yet again going to whip Littlefoot. Littlefoot saw this and moved back. The furry of tail whips had all been evaded, but Littlefoot was now backed up against a wall. He saw the smirk on Zank.

"It seems you're backed against a wall. Now I'll teach you who you're dealing with. I'll crush your skull to serve as a reminder why I'm the leader."

This is bad. Backed up to a corner with no feet movement. Well, this is it. This is my only shot. Risky, but it's worth the chance.

The tail of Zank clobbered Littlefoot's face so brutally that he almost lost it and fell. However, the will to survive kicked in and he remained conscious. As Zank's tail came, in the meantime, Littlefoot wrapped his tail around Zank's neck. At first, Zank wasn't worried, because a blow to Littlefoot's head with his tail would loosen his opponent's tail around his neck. Something went wrong though. Littlefoot, appearing slightly dizzy, remained awake. Zank only felt the air leaving him and never returning.

"W-ghck-H-how?"

Littlefoot gritted his teeth.

"Zank, it is time for you to stand down."

"Never."

The compression on Zank's neck grew.

"Y-You wouldn't…ki-ill m-m-me."

Littlefoot stood quiet. The lack of air made Zank close his eyes and relax into a submission state. Littlefoot relaxed his stance and loosened his grip around Zank's neck. He was right. Littlefoot wouldn't kill Zank. As Littlefoot was releasing his tail, a boulder about three-quarters size of his head came down and slammed against his head. Littlefoot closed his eyes and dropped to the floor with Zank. The longnecks looked at each other in confusion.

"So, who won?" asked a green female longneck.

Ali gasped and ran up to Littlefoot, passing the crowd with a few shoves and a couple of 'excuse me's and 'sorry's. She stood in front of Littlefoot and looked up. She narrowed her eyes.

"Why did you do that now?"

Cera and Spike peeked down from the cliff they stood on.

"Well, Littlefoot seemed to had won, so I guess it was the perfect time," said Cera.

"But not like that!"

"Well, a little rock wouldn't work in curing him."

Ali grunted and looked down at Littlefoot. Spike looked at his yellow friend.

"I told you it was a bad idea."

Cera narrowed her eyes.

"Your footprints are on this too, Spike."

Meanwhile, Ali lowered her head closer to Littlefoot. It seemed there were no physical damages. Ali nudged his head.

"Littlefoot. Littlefoot?"

Littlefoot didn't respond.

Not again, thought Ali.

"Littlefoot, please wake up. Please."

She kissed his cheek and rested her head on it. Littlefoot slowly opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times to clear his blurry sight. He noticed something resting on his cheek and saw Ali. He smiled.

"Oh, hey Ali. Why do you look so sad?"

Ali's eyes shot wide open as she heard Littlefoot's voice. She moved her head up and faced Littlefoot.

"Littlefoot?"

"Yep. Boy, I just had a…weird sleep story. I wasn't myself. I mean I was but... Ow. Why does my head feel that it was slammed against the Great Stone Wall."

He looked around and noticed the herd of longnecks and the passed out Zank.

"And when did we get more longnecks, and who is this longneck? Is he okay?"

He looked behind him and noticed the entrance he knew too well.

"And since did we get back to the Great Valley?"

Ali saw Littlefoot, the old Littlefoot, and she couldn't be happier at that moment. A tear of joy slid down her cheek and splattered on the ground. Her Littlefoot was back.

"Oh, Littlefoot. You're back."

"Back? Back from where? We were in that forest… You mean back from the forest?"

Ali sighed blissfully.

"Well, Spike forgot to mention the side effects."

"Side effects?"

Ali shook her head.

"I'll explain everything. Follow me."

"Okay," Littlefoot nodded. "Um, but can we get a mint leaf or something? My head still hurts."

The two longnecks left back into the Great Valley. The Great Valley residents also returned back to finish their day. The longnecks stood there, confused.

"What just happened?" asked a light purple longneck.

"Is he the leader, or is Zank still leader?" wondered a blue longneck with yellow polka-dots.

"Or are we leaderless?" questioned another green longneck with a blue strip along his back.

The longnecks looked at their unconscious leader and decided to head back into the Great Valley, leaving Zank behind.


	34. Welcome the New

"Ah, we're finally here."

Rhett and the others walked through the path longnecks used to enter the valley. It was a wide and secretive path. Most of the sharpteeth were unaware of the path, and the few who knew dare did not enter. The four longnecks marched through the light brownish ground and soon made it into the valley. They stepped onto the grassy green lands of the Great Valley and looked around in marvel.

"So, this is it," said Janet. "It's just like what my parents told me."

"This looks like a greener place than Green Valley," said Mady.

Janet then noticed other dinosaurs approaching them. It seemed that a gray threehorn was in charge of this bunch.

"Oh, great," Mr. Threehorn whispered. "More longnecks. Ugh. Hopefully these don't start a commotion to overthrow their leader."

Jett also saw Mr. Threehorn and smiled.

"Oh, hi. Um, we were wondering by chance if you knew a longneck."

Mr. Threehorn cleared his throat.

"Male or female?"

Jett got confused by what Mr. Threehorn said.

"That's strange. I would expect a name, but you give me gender."

"Well, boy, we only got two longnecks living here."

"Do they happen to be named Littlefoot and Ali?" questioned Janet.

Mr. Threehorn paused to think. He wasn't extremely stunned on how they knew Littlefoot and Ali. He coughed harshly. The adult yellow triceratops next to him looked at her father.

"Daddy, you should be more careful."

"I'm fine, Cera."

Cera shook her head and looked up at the longnecks. One stood out in particular.

"Hey. Don't I know you?"

Rhett faced Cera.

"I don't know. I would remember a yellow threehorn. Mm… Wait. It's Cera, isn't it?"

"You could've gotten my name from my dad...but you do look familiar. What's your name?"

"Rhett."

Cera's green eyes widened.

"Rhett? Oh, now I remember. You're the male longneck who hung around with Ali and lied about your adventures."

Rhett grunted, but he didn't lash out. He swallowed his agitation and calmly spoke his next words.

"Yeah, and you're one of Littlefoot's friends. Well, Ali too."

Cera nodded.

"What brings you back? The last time that I saw you was a few Cold Times before."

"Yeah. Times have changed. So, um, where are they?"

"Oh, they are by the Tall Trees. C'mon, I'll take you to them."

Cera turned around and started walking. The crowd made a path for her and the longnecks. The longnecks followed Cera. As they walked, Janet looked around. She looked as if she was trying to find something. Jett faced her.

"Are you looking for someone else as well, Janet?"

Janet stopped turning her head from side-to-side and looked at her boyfriend.

"It was just…when Littlefoot and I were traveling, I told him I knew about the Great Valley. He said it had everything, except for longnecks. I always thought he was joking about it because of the way he told me. Moreover, I thought he just wanted to avoid the valley, so he made that excuse up about longnecks not being here. Now, I see what he means. I haven't seen any longnecks, unless they are really good hiders."

"You're right," breathed Jett. "I think most of the valley residents were there, but I didn't spot a single longneck. You would think that a few would be a part of a wide herd of different dinosaurs."

"Well, this place is starting to look nicer and nicer as we walk through it," commented Mady. "And I kind of like the variety of herds here. Gives something a little different."

As the three conversed in the back, Rhettt and Cera had their own talk.

"So, how has it been?" asked Rhett.

"Good for the most part. How about you?"

"Same here. Uh, when you say for the most part, um…"

"Oh, that. Well, I think Ali and Littlefoot can explain better, I think. He's a good speaker, especially with the kids. Unlike Mr. Thicknose, the kids enjoy his lessons and stories."

Rhett's eyes widened, questioning what Cera meant.

"Lessons and stories?"

"He teaches the young ones about stuff. Also, like his grandpa, he sometimes tell stories."

"Oh."

The group entered the Tall Trees, a part of a small garden of trees near the Thundering Falls. Not very deep into the woods, they spotted Littlefoot, Ali, and a small band of children. Ali lied in the shade, watching Littlefoot as he interacted with the kids.

"So, why are these white-ground sparkles bad?" asked a lightly orange, male Triceratops. "If they give you water, it must be good."

"Well, they bring upon the cold time. It is water, but different. It is also very cold. We can live in it for the most part, but trees, our source of green food, can't. The leaves soon go away, and we are forced to find food somewhere else."

The six kids gasped.

"Oh, me don't like it," said a yellowish, male Iguanodon.

"No green food at all?" asked a purplish, female spiketail.

Littlefoot shook his head.

"Not in the whole Great Valley."

A reddish flyer quivered.

"Don't like it. The white-ground sparkles are bad if they make no green food."

Littlefoot nodded.

"Yes. You see…"

Littlefoot stopped and finally noticed Cera and the four longnecks. He recognized two of the longnecks as Rhett and Janet. Ali was curious on why Littlefoot stopped, but her curiosity was soon set to rest when she saw the four longnecks. She smiled and stood up to greet them. She walked up to Littlefoot.

"Um, I think that's it for their lesson."

Littlefoot slightly shook his head and looked down at the younger dinosaurs.

"Y-Yeah. Tomorrow, I will continue. Why don't you kids run along and play?"

The Iguanodon smiled.

"Sure thing, Mr. Longneck. C'mon guys. Let's play Kick the Seed."

The young dinosaurs smiled and scurried off to play the game. Littlefoot smiled as they left.

"Mr. Longneck, eh?"

Littlefoot faced Rhett with a warm expression.

"Rhett, it's nice to see you. All of you. How long has it been?"

"Too long," said Janet. "So, you teach kids now?"

Littlefoot nodded.

"Ever since Mr. Thicknose died, I figured someone had to teach these kids something."

"The kids love him," said Ali. "They are well behaved."

"Well, it seems they were focused on you," said Janet.

Littlefoot noticed Jett and Mady.

"Oh, hey. I'm Littlefoot and this is Ali."

"Oh, hi. I'm Mady."

"The name's Jett."

"Nice to meet both of you. So, you two know Rhett and Janet?"

"Well, I am Rhett's girlfriend."

"And I'm Janet's boyfriend, future mate."

Littlefoot looked at Rhett and then at Janet and then back at the two longnecks.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, and welcome to the Great Valley."

"Hey, Littlefoot," said Cera. "I'm going to go. Probably we can hang out later."

Littlefoot smiled.

"As always."

Cera looked at the longnecks and silently walked away. Mady faced Ali.

"Um, is it safe living with threehorns?"

"Yes. All the dinosaurs are safe to live with. Not sharpteeth though."

"So, Littlefoot," began Janet. "Did you and Ali have a safe trip back?"

Ali and Littlefoot faced each other with concerned faces first before looking back at their friends, old and new.

"About that," started Littlefoot. "Well, Ali did, but I didn't come back for a long while. I came back about three bright circles ago."

Janet gasped slightly.

"Three bright circles ago? Did something else happen?"

"A lot of things, but the funny thing is that I can't remember."

"How can you not remember?" wondered Jett.

"Well, it's a long story."

"Don't worry," said Rhett. "We would like to hear it, but first, let's get a drink. You can explain it to us as you show us where the water is."

"Alright. Follow us."

Littlefoot and Ali led the four longnecks through the Tall Trees to reach Thundering Falls. Littlefoot cleared his throat.

"Let me start at where when I left you and decided to go back on my own to my friends to tell them the water problem had been fixed. This is as much as I remember. I was walking through a thick, spooky forest when I spotted a…"

* * *

><p>Night had approached. The Great Valley residents and visitors had retired to their sleeping spots. The cold wind gave a comforting breeze as they rested. Two longnecks were still awake, shrouded behind trees and in a grassy clearing.<p>

"It was nice that we got to see old friends, and new ones too."

Littlefoot smiled.

"Yeah."

Ali stared at Littlefoot with a content face.

"Littlefoot, are you sure you don't remember anything?"

Littlefoot nodded.

"It's still a blur to me. Why do you ask?"

"Well, when the longneck herd was leaving, I noticed one of the females looked at you with saddened eyes, as if she knew you too well."

She slightly narrowed her eyes.

"Why? What did you do?"

"I'm not sure. I can't remember."

"Huh-uh."

"True, Ali. If I did, I would've told you."

Littlefoot paused.

"…if it wasn't too embarrassing or something like that."

"Littlefoot!" snapped Ali.

"Don't worry, Ali. It was probably she had a crush on me. That's all."

"Are you sure?"

"No."

Ali half-closed her eyes.

"But I know I love you, and that is all that matters. Nothing will come between us. And plus…"

He looked down at her belly.

"We're going to have to take care of our younglings too, and show them the same love and care we have for each other."

Ali smiled, faintly blushing at the memory of that night not too long ago.

"Yes. Our little longnecks will be here soon."

Littlefoot moved his head over and pressed his lips against Ali's lips. They kissed with passion, showing love, care, and trust within it. After a few seconds, Littlefoot parted from the kiss. He stared into his mate's blue eyes.

"I love you, Ali."

"I love you too, Littlefoot."

The two longnecks rested their heads down, resting their heads near each other and making their cheeks touch. Through the challenges they endeared, emotional and physical, they knew their future would be the most challenging, but it was okay. They were ready for it. They would face it together, and it was all because of love.


	35. Epilogue

A year has passed. Though almost all familiar residents had died off, new ones came into the valley. Along with these changes, friends and family had grown old. New babies and old dinosaurs made the community. The old just wished for the new to grow up safe and healthy for the several of their generations. Hence, the circle of life had continued, prolonging the stay of these great beasts: the dinosaurs.

Among in the valley, familiar faces have remained. Ducky has found a potential mate of her own. Petrie, no longer scared, has finally returned from his trip to a canyon of flyers and brought news that a female flyer promised to come over after the rainy season has passed. Cera has mated and now she and her new mate watches over the eggs, hoping their family would expand soon. Sadly, Spike is preparing for his leave in two days. A herd of spiketails had arrived yesterday and convinced him today to join them. Spike had always wanted to explore and see parts of the Mysterious Beyond he hasn't explored. Maybe, one day, he would return to tell what he saw. Rhett and Mady had decided to stay as Jett and Janet returned to Green Valley. Mady had been impressed by the Great Valley and told Rhett she wanted to stay. Rhett agreed. They became mates and had two kids: a brown longneck and a dark green longneck. Their two longneck children, of course, are best friends with Littlefoot and Ali's children. Littlefoot and Ali's children are only a few weeks older and all are different: a purplish longneck with green eyes, a gray-bluish longneck with blue eyes, and a light brown longneck with brown eyes. Their names respectfully are Pearl, Aquino, and Tierro.

Littlefoot and Ali had thought they faced all their challenges, but nothing compared to parenting. Like his father, Tierro was the adventurous type, always convincing the other longnecks to go with him as they explore the valley and its outskirts. Pearl was the voice of reason, but she was always interrupted or persuaded by the forceful and mischievous Aquino. Littlefoot had apologized for their children leading the two children of Rhett, Nick and Jasper, into the Mysterious Beyond, but after multiple incidents, the habit faded away.

Luckily, today was one of the few days that the kids didn't wander off into danger. As a reward, Littlefoot decided to tell a story. Littlefoot's kids had not only befriended Rhett's kids, but they were friends with two swimmers and a flyer. Soon, Cera's kids will be part of the group.

They gathered around a smoking crack in the earth. Littlefoot stood on one side as the children were on the other side. It was the same spot Grandpa Longneck told stories before bedtime, and now Littlefoot continued his legacy of storytelling. He faced the kids, smiling.

"So, kids, what story do you want to hear?"

The kids faced each other, discussing what appeared to be in telepathy on what story. After a few nods, they looked up at Littlefoot. Tierro spoke for the group.

"Mother always said you and her shared a grand adventure."

Littlefoot tried to remember.

"Every adventure your mother is a part off is a grand adventure. But I think you are referring to the journey to the Valley of Mists."

Aquino shook his head.

"Not that one. Mom told us that one as a goodnight story."

"...When?"

"Remember when you were so tired from saving us from those two big sharpteeth? You had already fallen asleep so Mother entertained us with a story to help us fall asleep. I guess you were tired."

Littlefoot cleared his throat, shrugging off the idea.

"Okay, so which story do you want to hear?"

"The one you and Mom shared before we were born," said Pearl. "I want to know how you and Mom got together and became Mom and Dad."

Littlefoot blushed.

"Oh, that one. Well, no. How about another story?"

"Okay," began Aquino. "How do threehorns make so many eggs?"

"Uh... Alright. I'll tell the story about me and your mother."

Littlefoot thought how to exclude how he almost died and came back without knowing himself…and of course, the intimate relationship between him and Ali.

"Well, I left Green Valley before your mother did. One of my friends, a flyer by the name of Petrie, came with urgent news. They said that there was no water in the valley. I couldn't leave them without any water. So, I went out all by myself."

"By yourself?" questioned Penny, a greenish swimmer and a twin of her sister Yesenia.

"Why didn't you tell Mom?" asked Pearl. "Was she mad?"

Littlefoot nodded.

"Yes, but for a different reason. You see-"

"Littlefoot."

Littlefoot lifted his head and saw Ali walking his way. He smiled.

"Oh, hi Dear."

She smiled.

"I see your telling stories."

"Littlefoot nodded.

"Mom."

Ali looked towards her daughter who called her.

"Yes, Pearl?"

"Why didn't you go with Dad when he left Green Valley?"

Ali raised her head towards Littlefoot.

"Littlefoot, what story are you telling them about?"

"Well…um…" stuttered Littlefoot. "W-well, you k-know about the adventure I had, and then you, Janet, and Rhett followed?"

"So our mom and dad are also in the story?" wondered Nick. "How cool."

"Mr. Longneck?" came the voice of Suave, the pink female flyer. "Was my parents part of the story too?"

Ali narrowed her eyes. Littlefoot nervously smiled.

"Don't be mad."

"I'm not, but you do know the details of that story?"

"It was either this story or how threehorns make eggs."

Ali sighed.

"It's getting late. Time for little ones to go to bed."

"Aw!" chorused the children.

"But Mom, can't we finish the story first?"

"No, Pearl. Besides, I need to speak with your father."

"Alright," said Tierro. "C'mon guys."

The children got up and left. Out of range from their parents' hearing, Aquino pointed out something.

"Hopefully Mom leaves Dad in one piece. I still want him to tell me the secret on how threehorns make eggs."

Back with Ali and Littlefoot, the small dispute began.

"Littlefoot, you know that story is not for the kids. Besides, I have always wanted to keep it personal to us."

"Well, I let them choose, and they wanted that one. I was going to tone it down to their level."

Ali heaved heavily.

"Still. Just tell those other stories you have and don't let them choose."

"Alright. It's just that, you have to admit, it is a good story."

"They are too young for that, Littlefoot."

Ali turned around and started walking towards the nest. Littlefoot walked beside her.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Mm… How about the Lone Dinosaur?"

"Told that one."

"The story on how longnecks got long necks?"

"Told it."

"The journey to the Valley of Mists?"

"You told that one."

Ali looked confused.

"No, I didn't."

"But-uh… I thought you did."

"Who told you that?"

Littlefoot looked forward and mumbled.

"Someone who's in trouble for lying."

"What was that?" asked Ali.

Littlefoot faced his mate.

"Nothing, but yeah, I'll tell them about that one tomorrow. I just have to remember to tell it sooner."

Littlefoot sighed.

"Why didn't anyone tell us parenting was hard?"

"Well, it's not easy, Littlefoot. I guess we know how our parents must have felt when we were kids."

"Yeah," slightly smiled Littlefoot. "It just can get frustrating at times."

"I know, but remember what we have always said?"

Littlefoot grinned.

"We will get through this together. I remember."

Ali rested her head against his head as they continued to walk.

"But you know something? Though it's hard, I wouldn't want it any other way."

Littlefoot thought about. He nodded and sighed.

"Just wished our kids were a little more discipline."

"Don't worry. They'll grow up into fine adults. After all, they have two parents that love them, and both of them love each other."

"Yes," Littlefoot said sincerely.

They arrived to their sleeping spot behind some trees to see the kids had already fallen asleep. The warm wind had probably helped them fall asleep faster. Littlefoot smirked.

"Guess no bedtime story was needed."

Ali left Littlefoot's side to join her kids. She lied down on her belly near the large nest the kids slept in. She looked back to face Littlefoot.

"Come, Dear."

Littlefoot stood for a moment, looking what was before him. His family, a thing Littlefoot longed for, was in front of him. If only his father was alive to see this… Ali was right. He wouldn't want it any other way.

Littlefoot nodded and sat down next to Ali. He lowered his head towards Ali's head and nuzzled it.

"Ali?"

"Mm…" responded Ali with her eyes closed.

"I wouldn't want it any other way either. Goodnight, Love."

"Goodnight, Dear."

Littlefoot rested his head on the ground near Ali, and the two longnecks faded to sleep. They didn't know what the future held. They didn't even know what would happen tomorrow, but they knew nothing would bring them done. They would embrace the future, with their love, together.


End file.
